NEWS
2023 Election: Over 50,000 Presidential Result Sheets Allegedly Uploaded From Private Phones, Raising Fresh Questions Over IReV
Fresh questions have emerged over the transmission of results from polling units during Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election, following an analysis of thousands of polling-unit result records by election data and technology platform Mundx Analytics.
The investigation reportedly examined records associated with the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal, popularly known as IReV, and raised questions about the devices used to upload presidential election result sheets.
According to the analysis, more than 50,000 presidential result sheets from the 2023 election appear to have been uploaded to the IReV platform using private mobile phones.
The finding has drawn attention because of the expectations surrounding the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which INEC deployed during the election and which was presented as a key component of the commission’s electronic accreditation and result-management process.
The central question arising from the analysis is not simply whether the result sheets were uploaded, but who uploaded them and under whose authority the uploads were made.
The issue is particularly significant because the IReV portal was designed to provide public access to polling-unit result sheets after they had been uploaded electronically, allowing Nigerians, political parties, observers and other stakeholders to independently view the documents.
The reported discovery therefore raises questions about the chain of custody surrounding some of the result sheets and the procedures followed by electoral officials when transmitting them to the portal.
Reacting to the development, broadcaster Rufai Oseni described the finding as deeply concerning and called on INEC to provide an explanation.
“This is very shocking and I expect INEC to react to this!“ Oseni said.
The development has renewed attention on the technological and administrative processes surrounding the 2023 presidential election, particularly the relationship between BVAS, polling-unit officials and the IReV platform.
While the reported analysis raises questions about the devices associated with the uploads, determining what this means for the integrity or validity of individual results would require further clarification from INEC, including information on the commission’s authorised upload procedures, the identities or roles of officials who made the uploads, and whether the use of particular devices was permitted under its operational guidelines.
The controversy also highlights the importance of transparency in Nigeria’s electronic election-result management system, where the ability to trace each result from the polling unit to the public portal is central to public confidence in the electoral process.
With renewed attention now focused on the data, INEC’s response could provide important clarification on how the affected result sheets were transmitted, what devices were authorised for the process, and whether the uploads complied with the commission’s procedures during the 2023 presidential election.