How INEC can restore confidence in the electoral process: UNILAG VC.

Ogunsola, who served as a State Collation Officer for Osun, advised on Friday in Abuja while speaking with newsmen at the INEC post-election review meeting with returning and collation officers.

She said that while improving on those technologies, INEC should also regularly inform Nigerians about such progress to instil confidence in the system.

Ogunsola said that while uploading results was an added value, parties, INEC, and every stakeholder should be part of a more transparent process by having their own copies.

She said while the uploading of results made it more difficult for anybody to manipulate it, it was also crucial for every party to have a copy of the results at all levels.

Ogunsola urged every stakeholder to diligently perform his or her responsibility so that collective confidence could be restored in the system.

“Once you’re in a leadership or any position, people will question your integrity whether they have a genuine reason. It is often a matter of opinion.

“I do know that there was a lot of finger-pointing without basis, just because it didn’t go somebody’s way, so when you take these kinds of assignments, you recognize that that will happen.

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“There will always be a trust deficit even if you do everything correctly. Some people are going to question it,” she said.

She advised that since election results are collated at the polling units and collation centres, political parties should ensure that their members are always present at every level and have copies of the results.

“I collated results at Osun State, and everybody has those results. As we read the results, it flashed on the board, and everybody signed it.

“So if somebody turns around now to say it is not the right result, how do you fight that? It means the person is either telling a lie or was not around,” she said.

How INEC can restore confidence in the electoral process: UNILAG VC.

Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. Kabiru Bala, said that for Nigeria to have successful election outcomes, there must be a change of attitude by Nigerians, whether politicians or the electorate.

Bala served as the State Returning officer for Sokoto State.

He said that politicians needed to change their `must-win` mentality while those elected should be patriotic to serve, and the electorate should vote for the best candidate in any election.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Prof. Charles Igwe, told the newsmen that he had already forwarded his recommendations to INEC.

Igwe, however, urged early commencement of election preparation, including the recruitment of ad hoc staff and field officers.

He said this would make them well-grounded in what is expected during elections.

He said it was important that INEC organised the post-election review, adding that it would help experience sharing experiences rendering solutions to identified loopholes.

“It will make our election to be more open and transparent so that our election would be of standard and match the international best practices, Igwe said.