INEC Chairman Declares National Collation Centre Open in Abuja

As the 2023 presidential and national assembly elections are almost ending, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mahmood Yakubu, has officially declared the National collation centre in Abuja, Nigeria's capital city, open.

Speaking at the ICC at the International Conference Centre in Abuja on Sunday, February 26, Yakubu urged civil society organisations and media to draw the analysis and reports based on only the official results released by the electoral umpire.

Yakubu noted that collation for Nigeria's presidential elections is done at four levels.

"After the conclusion and vetting and recording of results at the various polling units, the results are first tallied and collated here (the ICC)."

While stating that the commission has a situation room, Yakubu warned that there is only one room where collation activities are ongoing outside the ICC in Abuja.

Read also

2023 polls: Situation report confirms high voter turnout, violence in northeast

He added:

"But once collation starts, everything begins and ends in this hall (the ICC) and in the open. As the collation of results progresses, the commission may find it necessary to brief the nation on matters relating to the nation but unrelated to the collation of results."

He noted that when the need for such briefing arises, it will not be done at the collation centre as a media centre has been prepared for such purpose behind the ICC building.

He also added that in cases where he cannot personally brief on the activities of INEC and results collated so far, the commissioner of information and voter education, Festus Okoye, would do so.

"So we will now take a break and resume at 6 pm.

"We are expecting that by 6 pm, one or two of the officers will have arrived at the national collation centre."

Source: Legit.ng