The opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has charged Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to deploy its INEC Candidates Nomination Portal, ICNP, in the 2023 general elections, as it did in Osun July 16 election.
Goldennewsng reports that PDP also praised INEC for the success of the ICNP, which was instrumental to the success of the last Osun governorship election.
The opposition PDP said INEC should also train more of its staff on the effective use of the ICNP to ensure free and fair election come 2023.
PDP in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, on Friday said the technology will ensure transparent, fast, credible polling and transmission of results.
According to Debo Ologunagba, the ICNP technology allowed political parties to use specified and dedicated Access Codes issued by the Commission to log in and electronically upload the names and particulars of their candidates onto the INEC Web Portal in a manner that guarantees promptness.
The statement partly read “the PDP notes the effort by INEC to train Mobilization staffs of political parties for seven days; an initiative that played a key role in the success of the ICNP process. The Party urges INEC to organize more capacity-building training for its officials ahead of the 2023 general election.
“Our Party believes that the success of the ICNP is a further pointer that technology can be effectively deployed to enhance the credibility of sensitive electoral processes such as rapid uploading, transmission, collation and final declaration of election results at all levels.
“The PDP, a critical stakeholder in the Nigerian Democratic System, applauds the deployment of technology in the electronic transmission of results in the Osun State Governorship election but urges the Commission to expand its capacity so as withstand the expected pressure in the large-scale transmission of results from across the country in the 2023 general elections”.
PDP charged INEC to ensure the security of its electronic system to prevent hackers, infiltrations and manipulations during the 2023 general elections, stressing that with the failure of the All Progressives Congress APC, led Federal Government.
PDP said the anxiety among Nigerians to vote them out, citizens expect nothing short of free, fair, transparent and credible elections from the electoral umpire.
