Is Electronic Transmission

of Election Results a
Game Changer?
Election Results Analysis Dashboard (ERAD) Report on Electronic
Transmission of Election Results in the 2022 Ekiti and Osun
Governorship Election

w w w.e ra d . n g
Yiaga Africa Election Result Analysis Dashboard (ERAD) Report on Electronic Transmission of Results in the 2022 Ekiti and Osun Governorship Election

Acknowledgment
It takes an innovative, energetic and courageous team to execute the ERAD
project within strict timelines and limited resources. Special recognition to
Safiya Bichi, the ERAD team lead and other members of the team, Olusegun
Ogundare, Daniel Mkpume, Micheal Agada, Samuel Folorunsho, Daniel
Ukpai, and Ndukwe Onugu. Special appreciation to Aminu Sule, Tumininu
Adeeko-Ukpai, and Abdullah Raji for their valuable contribution to the
success of the project.

Special thanks to Prof. Okechukwu Ibeanu for his technical assistance,

strategic leadership and incredible contribution to the ERAD project. Seun
Okinbaloye deserves commendation for his diligence, commitment and
expertise which he deployed for the success of ERAD project. Yiaga Africa
commends the dedication and commitment of the ERAD analysis team
comprising Dr. Hussaini Abdu, Ezenwa Nwagwu, Cynthia Mbamalu, Prof.
Remi Aiyede, Lanre Arongundade, Prof Bolaji Omitola, Prof. Azeez Olaniyan,
and Babajide Ogunsanwo. The depth of their analysis enriched the ERAD
findings and increased public understanding of the trends and patterns in
the Ekiti and Osun elections.

We owe a debt of gratitude to the Independent National Electoral

Commission (INEC) for the openness and transparency and willingness to
share information and data with Yiaga Africa. INEC’s support to the ERAD is
contributing in no small measure to the success of the project.

Yiaga Africa appreciates the collaboration of our development partners

and support for credible elections in Nigeria. We appreciate the United
Nations Development Program (UNDP) for its support to ERAD.

Our key media partner on this initiative, Channel Television, is greatly

appreciated for co-designing and co-implementing the ERAD project. The
success of the ERAD in Ekiti and Osun demonstrates the transformative
power of collaboration between civil society and media organizations,
especially when both groups are driven by excellence, professionalism, and
commitment to electoral democracy.

Itodo Samson
Executive Director

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Yiaga Africa Election Result Analysis Dashboard (ERAD) Report on Electronic Transmission of Results in the 2022 Ekiti and Osun Governorship Election

Introduction
In 2020, the Independent National Electoral and backed by in-depth analysis. The
Commission (INEC) established a result real-time publishing of polling unit-
viewing portal (IReV) to provide the public level results and transmission of results
access to Polling Unit election results as soon using the IReV demonstrates INEC’s
as they are finished. This relative real-time commitment to transparency in results
publishing of election results was part of the management.
Commission’s commitment to transparency
in results management, which for many
years has been of primary concern to
election stakeholders. IReV involves scanning The Electoral Act 2022 confers legality on
or photographing Polling Unit result sheets electronic accreditation of voters and
(Form EC 8A) once they are completed and electronic transmission of results. The
verified, and subsequently uploading the Act also mandates INEC to maintain and
pictures to a dedicated backend server. At update, on a continuous basis, a register
the frontend, the portal allows members of election results to be known as the
of the public to create personal accounts National Electronic Register of Election
and log-in details with which they can gain Results. The electronic register is a
access to all uploaded results stored as PDF distinct database or repository of polling
files. The introduction of IReV has increased unit results, including collated election
public confidence in results management. results for each election conducted by
At the same time, it offers wide-ranging the Commission across the Federation.
opportunities for public information based The legitimacy of electoral outcomes
on data directly sourced from the portal has greatly improved due to the new
provisions in the Electoral Act 2022.

INEC deployed the IReV for the 2022

Ekiti and Osun governorship election.
Polling unit level results were uploaded
on the portal as part of INEC’s policy on
electronic transmission of result. Yiaga
Africa and Channel Television launched
an Election Result Analysis Dashboard
(ERAD) to support INEC by providing
the public with access to analyzed
election results from the polling unit in
relative real-time. To achieve this goal,
the Election Results Analysis Dashboard
was embedded within the election-
day broadcast of Channels Television.
By tracking results from the polling
units based on the Commission’s own
published results, the ERAD operates
as independent audit and integrity
test assessment tool for INEC’s election
results management.

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Yiaga Africa Election Result Analysis Dashboard (ERAD) Report on Electronic Transmission of Results in the 2022 Ekiti and Osun Governorship Election

The ERAD was piloted in the governorship

election in Ekiti where all the results from the 2,445
polling units were downloaded from the IReV. Of
the 2,445 downloaded results, only 2,342 results
were analyzed and visualized on the ERAD while
in Osun, all the results from the 3,763 polling units
were downloaded. However, only 3,676 polling unit
results were analyzed and visualized. Millions of
Nigerians across the globe followed the Channels
TV broadcast as the ERAD was the only platform
that provided real-time visualized data of the
election results. Secondly, INEC’s IReV recorded
huge traffic due to the publicity it gained from the
ERAD. The ERAD has been acknowledged by key
election stakeholders like INEC, political parties
and media houses as a unique innovation for
promoting the credibility of results management
process.

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Yiaga Africa Election Result Analysis Dashboard (ERAD) Report on Electronic Transmission of Results in the 2022 Ekiti and Osun Governorship Election

Pre-
conditions
for ERAD
The following pre-conditions are essential for the
deployment of the ERAD;

A commitment to electoral
transparency:

Electoral stakeholders must demonstrate

commitment to transparency of all aspects of
the electoral process. INEC’s commitment to
share election information such as polling unit
distribution, Permanent Voter Card (PVC), and
election results is central to the ERAD.

A legal framework that permits

electronic accreditation transmission
of results:

With an improved electoral legal framework that

legally approves transmission of accreditation
data and election results directly from the polling
units, access to election data is guaranteed.

A coalition of the willing:

Broad based partnerships and collaboration

makes the ERAD deployment possible. It takes
a combination of civil society actors, media
organizations, technology experts, election
scholars and analysts with shared values and
interests to promote electoral transparency.

An efficient, reliable, and secure

technology:

The ERAD is a technology innovation that relies

on efficient, reliable, and secure technology
infrastructure to function.

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Yiaga Africa Election Result Analysis Dashboard (ERAD) Report on Electronic Transmission of Results in the 2022 Ekiti and Osun Governorship Election

The ERAD
Business Process

1
Download, and extraction of the PDF version of the
results from the IReV: A team of data clerks download
election results uploaded on the INEC IReV.

The Election Result Database: The results

2
on the downloaded PDF files are extracted
and entered into a database by data
operators. The results are checked by data
checkers and approved for visualization
and analysis.

3
Election Results Dashboard: A contemporary intelligent,
interactive electronic dashboard with various tools to
analyze and display/visualize election data in diverse
formats to facilitate public understanding of election results.

4 Expert analysis: Once the results are

verified, they are transmitted to the
results analysis team to evaluate the
results, situate them in broader analytic
frameworks and make prognoses and
projections.

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Yiaga Africa Election Result Analysis Dashboard (ERAD) Report on Electronic Transmission of Results in the 2022 Ekiti and Osun Governorship Election

ERAD Findings
on the electronic
transmission of
results in Ekiti
and Osun
Functionality of the IReV portal:

Generally, the IReV portal functioned optimally

making it possible for Presiding officers to
upload results. The timing and frequency of the
uploads were satisfactory. In Ekiti, at 6pm on
election day, 67% of polling unit level results were
already uploaded on the IReV. At 10:52pm,100% of
the results were on the IReV portal. Similarly, in
Osun, 60% of results were uploaded on the IReV
portal at 6pm on election day. By 11pm, 98% of the
results were on the portal.

Accessibility to the IReV portal:

In Ekiti election, access to the IReV portal was

seamless. Users encountered no difficulty with
the creation of user logins. However, members of
public encountered difficulties in accessing the
IReV portal between 1:30pm – 5pm on election day.
Password recovery for existing users performed
poorly as email verification took long hours. New
users also encountered delays with the creation
of new log in accounts. While the upload of
results occurred with considerable speed, the
download of the results was excessively slow.

While the server used for the upload of results

from the BVAS functioned with considerable
speed due to adequate bandwidth on the
server, the ERAD findings show that the Amazon
Web Services (AWS) server used for the storage
of polling unit results had limited bandwidth to
handle the multiple requests on election day.
The huge traffic on the portal at the end of
voting and commencement of ward collation

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Yiaga Africa Election Result Analysis Dashboard (ERAD) Report on Electronic Transmission of Results in the 2022 Ekiti and Osun Governorship Election

(2:00pm – 6:00pm) affected the server and

reduced the speed of processing requests
from users. Overall, the election result for
Ekiti requires a storage capacity of 10gb
and Osun 15gb respectively.

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Yiaga Africa Election Result Analysis Dashboard (ERAD) Report on Electronic Transmission of Results in the 2022 Ekiti and Osun Governorship Election

Condition of Uploaded
Election Results
In the Ekiti election, eighty-eight (88) result photographs of result sheets were
sheets were not entered into the ERAD uploaded on the IReV portal in both
database due to issues that disabled data elections. It was impracticable to
entry. Similarly, eighty-seven (87) results decipher the number of votes scored
were not processed on the ERAD in the by political parties on the uploaded
Osun election owing to the following issues; forms. In some cases, the Presiding
officers uploaded truncated images of
1. Upload of Incorrect Election Forms: result sheets. In other words, the images
Based on the ERAD findings, INEC omitted segments of the result sheets.
Presiding officers uploaded forms Collation officers or Returning officers
or documents other than Form EC8A are required by the Electoral Act 2022
as prescribed in the guidelines and under S64 (4) to verify and confirm the
manual for the election. Some of the results on the hardcopy result sheet
forms include the Form EC60E designed and the electronically transmitted
for posting results at the polling results before announcing the result
units, handwritten letters and notes of an election. It is, however, unclear
indicating cancellation of polling unit whether the collation officers complied
level results. See annexures for samples with this procedure given the condition
of wrongly uploaded forms. of some results sheets uploaded on
the portal. See annexures for samples
2. Blurry Images and Poorly Captured of blurry images and truncated result
Photographs of Result Sheets: sheets.
Blurry images and poorly captured

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Yiaga Africa Election Result Analysis Dashboard (ERAD) Report on Electronic Transmission of Results in the 2022 Ekiti and Osun Governorship Election

3. Wrongly Inputted and Omitted Data

on Result Sheets: From the result sheets
downloaded on the IReV, important
delimitation data such number of
registered voters and accredited voter
for polling units was either omitted or
wrongly inputted on the Form EC 8A. In
some cases, the number of registered
voters recorded for some polling units
were less than the accredited voters.
See annexures for sample of result
sheets with omitted data

4. Unstamped and Unsigned Result

Sheets: Contrary to the provisions of the
Electoral Act 2022 and INEC Guidelines
and Regulations, some polling unit
level results (Form EC8A) uploaded on
the IReV were not stamped or signed
by the Presiding officer. In the Osun
election, the ERAD findings revealed
that of the 3,676 results that were
entered on the dashboard; 10 polling
unit results were not stamped and
signed, 15 result sheets not stamped
but signed, and 2 results sheets were
stamped but not signed.

5. Variation in the total number of

rejected ballots: Based on results
entered on the ERAD database, there
was a variation in the total number
of rejected ballots, and the figures
announced by INEC at the final
collation. For instance in Osun, the total
rejected ballots as compiled from the
polling units by the ERAD is 21,886, while
the total number of rejected ballots
as announced at the INEC’s state
collation in Osun state is 18,674.

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Yiaga Africa Election Result Analysis Dashboard (ERAD) Report on Electronic Transmission of Results in the 2022 Ekiti and Osun Governorship Election

Inconsistencies
in the data on
PVC collection:
An analysis of the number of registered ​​voters and the PVC collected by polling units revealed
some inconsistencies in the data. Findings from the analysis on the Osun PVC collection
data revealed that the total number of PVCs collected for 30 Polling Units were greater
than the total number of registered voters in those polling units. These inconsistencies were
recorded in 12 LGAs as enumerated in the infographic below;
Osogbo
Olorunda Odo-Otin

1 4
1
Ejigbo
Egbedore

11 1
Obokun

Orolu
Ilesha
West
3
1

Ilesha
Irewole East

1 3

Isokan

2
Ife East

TOTAL 30
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Yiaga Africa Election Result Analysis Dashboard (ERAD) Report on Electronic Transmission of Results in the 2022 Ekiti and Osun Governorship Election

Pathways for improving the

transparency of election result
management
Recommendations for INEC
1. INEC should invest in the training of polling unit officials, with a
special focus on result transmission, ballot paper accounting as well
as the capturing of polling unit results using the BVAS. It will address
the capacity deficits resulting to upload of incorrect or incomplete
forms and blurry images.

2. In addition to the transmission of polling unit level results, INEC

should electronically transmit and publish the number of accredited
voters on the IReV. This is in accordance with the Section 64(4)(5)(6) of
the Electoral Act 2022.

3. To deepen the transparency of the collation process, the Form EC8B,

Ward collation result sheet should be uploaded on the IReV portal
at the close of collation at the ward level. It will facilitate monitoring
and tracking of the results collation process.

4. INEC should increase the Amazon Web Services (AWS) resources

for storing the form EC8A or polling unit results in the AWS server.
Increasing the bandwidth, RAM size and storage capacity of the
server to improve the processing power of the IReV portal and ensure
public access to results uploaded on the portal.

5. The commission should review the features of the BVAS to improve

picture quality. The IOS on the BVAS should be upgraded to introduce
a feature that enables the camera to detect or capture/focus on the
object of interest on the result sheet.

6. INEC should consider converting the file (election results) from PDF
to jpeg and create options for varying quality for downloads similar
to YouTube downloading options. A PDF compression script can be
integrated on the portal to ease downloads of the results.

7. INEC should introduce a form like the Form E40G for reporting
cancellation of results at the polling unit, to avoid upload of
documents not relevant to the IReV or handwritten letters.

8. The Commission should discontinue new registrations or user

account creation on the IReV portal 12 hours to election day, this will
reduce the stress level on the IREV server on election day.

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Yiaga Africa Election Result Analysis Dashboard (ERAD) Report on Electronic Transmission of Results in the 2022 Ekiti and Osun Governorship Election

9. INEC should insist on strict compliance with the guidelines for

electronic transmission of results. Sanctions should be imposed on
Presiding Officers, Collation Officers and Returning Officers for any
failure to upload results promptly or non-reference to electronically
transmitted results for result collation.

10. To inspire public confidence in the IReV and BVAS, INEC should conduct
penetration tests and mock exercises to assess the robustness,
efficiency, security and capacity of its servers and devices to be
deployed for the 2023 general election. The findings of these tests/
exercises should be available to the public.

Key lessons
and takeaways
1. The transparency of the transmission and collation of election results is a parameter
for measuring the integrity quotient of elections. Therefore, safeguarding the integrity
of future elections will require a greater level of transparency and openness in the
accreditation, voting, counting of ballots, transmission and collation of results.

2. Public trust is essential for any successful deployment of electoral technologies. The
confidence of citizens and election stakeholders in the electronic devices deployed by
INEC like the BVAS and the IReV web portal influences voter participation in elections as
well as the acceptability of electoral outcomes.

3. The aggregation, analysis, visualization and broadcast of real-time election results

counters fake news and disinformation during and after elections. It is important for
critical stakeholders to establish a single source of truth for election results in the 2023
elections.

4. As a repository of extensive election data, the ERAD is emerging as a powerful tool

for revolutionizing election research in Nigeria. While complementing INEC’s IReV or
National Electronic Register of Election Results (NERER), researchers can have access
to credible election data such as polling units results and other relevant election
statistics on the ERAD platform.

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Yiaga Africa Election Result Analysis Dashboard (ERAD) Report on Electronic Transmission of Results in the 2022 Ekiti and Osun Governorship Election

Conclusion
The introduction of the IReV into
the framework for election results
management has transformed public
perception of the accuracy and credibility
of election results. It has boosted the
transparency of elections by ensuring
voters have access to polling unit results
at the close of polls. It is an undisputed
fact that granting public access to
polling unit level results in near real-time
is gradually sanitizing the results collation
process. Uploading results on the portal
deter collation officers and politicians
from altering or mutilating election
results at different collation levels. This
oversight mechanism introduced by INEC
and legalized by the Electoral Act 2022 is
one of the most significant innovations
and reform to Nigeria’s electoral process.
Therefore, improving the efficiency of
the IReV to sustain public confidence
in the results management process is
critical for the successful conduct of the
2023 elections. Addressing the gaps and
shortcomings identified by the ERAD will
guarantee the credibility and legitimacy
of the results of future elections. It will
require an amendment and update of the
Regulations and Guidelines for elections
and Manual for election officials;
enhancement of the technological
infrastructure for the IReV to improve its
processing power and protect the portal
against hybrid cyber threats and lastly,
strategic and consistent stakeholders’
engagement.

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Yiaga Africa Election Result Analysis Dashboard (ERAD) Report on Electronic Transmission of Results in the 2022 Ekiti and Osun Governorship Election

Appendix
Wrongly uploaded forms

Truncated uploaded form

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Yiaga Africa Election Result Analysis Dashboard (ERAD) Report on Electronic Transmission of Results in the 2022 Ekiti and Osun Governorship Election

Blury uploaded forms

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Yiaga Africa Election Result Analysis Dashboard (ERAD) Report on Electronic Transmission of Results in the 2022 Ekiti and Osun Governorship Election

Blury uploaded forms

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Yiaga Africa Election Result Analysis Dashboard (ERAD) Report on Electronic Transmission of Results in the 2022 Ekiti and Osun Governorship Election

Blury uploaded forms

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Yiaga Africa Election Result Analysis Dashboard (ERAD) Report on Electronic Transmission of Results in the 2022 Ekiti and Osun Governorship Election

Wrongly inputted or omitted data

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