Exclusive:

NCC TOTTLES WITH REP IDEM’S QUESTION ON ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION OF ELECTION RESULTS

The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, during Friday July 18, 2021 plenary when it appeared before the House of Representatives, tottled with Rep. Unyime Idem’s question on the issue of electronic transmission of election results from polling units without strong network signal.

Idem had asked if it was possible to transmit election results uploaded from polling units without network to INEC server once the INEC transmission device gets network signal? He likened the scenario to that of offline SIM registration and some bank services that gets uploaded once there is network coverage.

Idem, an expert in ICT and Nigeria’s Most celebrated Telecoms Partner has a better understanding of the workings of telecoms network in Nigeria having been a major service partner for telecom giants in the country.

From hindsight, Idem understands perfectly well that election results have chances of being uploaded from polling units without network and will hit INEC results collation portal once there is network.

Responding to Rep. Idem’s question, the NCC Commissioner in charge of Stakeholder Management, Adeleke Adewolu, said it was possible to allow for transmission of election results offline but went on to counter his claim that based on a 2018 NCC survey, only about 50% of the 109,000 polling units mapped out had 2G or 3G network coverage. The Commissioner further added that about 49.7% had no coverage at all.

This claim by NCC contradicts its own 2020-2025 National Broadband plan recently approved by President Muhammadu Buhari. The plan states that 2G coverage presently stands at 89%. 3G coverage at 74% while 4G coverage is 37% with potential for great improvement given technological advancement.

Based on the aforesaid, it is a given that electronic transmission of election results from polling units is possible in Nigeria having been successfully tested by INEC with the help of NCC and the telecom giants in Edo and Ondo elections recently.

Rep. Unyime Idem was among the three lawmakers nominated by Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila to ask NCC questions.