In regards to its webpage, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has made a shocking statement. The commission claims that hackers from all around the world have been attacking its result viewing (IReV) webpage.
This was said by INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu on Friday in Abuja while delivering the keynote presentation at a stakeholders’ conference on election result management.
A Civic Society Organization (CSO), YIAGA Africa, organized the meeting to introduce the election result analysis dashboard (ERAD) report agenda.
Yakubu said that the commission had recorded many attempts to breach the result viewing portal’s computer security firewall.
“Another technical concern for us is the repeated attempts to break through our cyber security system for the portal,” he said.
“Our engineers reported several cyberattacks on the portal during the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections, some of them from as far as Asia. I am glad to note that all of them failed.
“However, while we are confident in the security solutions that we have deployed for IReV and all our web presence, we must remain vigilant and continue to strengthen our defences. We have tasked our engineers to do everything possible to fully protect the IReV and all our web resources.”
In addition, Yakubu said that INEC is trying to fix other administrative-related issues.
“For example, we found that some of the low-quality uploads that occurred in the field, which some of the observers have also noted, were due to the unavailability or substitution of presiding officers that were trained prior to the elections,” he said.
“We shall administratively deal with this challenge and ensure that only adequately trained Presiding Officers are deployed for elections.
“Also, more hands-on training may be required to ensure that all those involved throughout the value chain of the IReV are fully ready for what is bound to be a major outing during the 2023 general election.”
Aside from obstacles, the INEC chairman pointed out that the commission has implemented new legal guidelines, operational processes, and technology advancements to enhance the conduct of elections in 2023.
