The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed the legitimacy of the 2023 presidential election results, dismissing allegations of discrepancies between the results posted on its website and those announced by returning officers at the National Collation Centre. These concerns were raised by the Centre for Collaborative Investigative Journalism (CCIJ) in a letter dated August 7, addressed to INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu. CCIJ pointed out that INEC had reported 1,578 polling units where voting was cancelled due to irregularities, with around 1,205,000 registered voters affected. However, records on the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IREV) showed 2,203 polling units affected, with approximately 1,221,000 registered voters, and violence as the leading cause of cancellations.
In response, Rotimi Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, clarified that the Commission does not release results via social media and rejected the claims of discrepancies in the number of registered voters and the election results. He explained that the state Returning Officers from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) individually presented their results to the Chief Returning Officer, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, at the National Collation Centre, in accordance with established procedures.
Oyekanmi also pointed out that, in each case, the Returning Officers announced the total valid votes, rejected votes, total votes cast, and cancelled votes, including the specific reasons for cancellations such as violence or failure to use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS). He emphasized that no objections were raised by party agents following these announcements.
Oyekanmi further explained that the 2023 presidential election involved 176,606 polling units across 8,809 wards in 36 states and the FCT, with supplementary elections held in 23 states on April 15, 2023. He stated that no discrepancies exist in the total number of polling units or registered voters, and the reported figures remained consistent as announced by the Commission.
He also invited CCIJ and the public to refer to the full details in the Electoral Act 2023 and the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, available on INEC’s website. Oyekanmi reaffirmed that the presidential election results presented by the state Returning Officers and the FCT Returning Officer were official and authentic, and that the figures cited by CCIJ from Imo State were inconsistent with those publicly presented by the Imo State Returning Officer at the National Collation Centre in Abuja.
