TheCable

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the national collation centre open.

Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, who spoke during a media briefing at the international conference centre in Abuja, which will be used for the collation, said the process would resume at 6 pm on Sunday.

The chairman said while the collation center would remain open until the final determination of the 2023 presidential election, “there may be interlude or adjournments”.

“This will be announced by the returning officer as the need arises. As soon as any of the state collation officers for the presidential election (SCOPES) arrive, the process of collation will begin. Once the process begins, the collection center will be open all day and all night subject only to short breaks as may be announced by the returning officer,” Yakubu said.

“I appeal to all political parties and media organisations to draw their figures only from the official results released by the commission as the only body constitutionally responsible for releasing official election figures.

“Everything that we are going to do here will be done in the open. There is no other room where any other procedure is running outside this hall. Yes, we have our situation room but that is just the situation room for the commission. But once collation starts, everything begins and ends in this hall 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 election, but unrelated to the collection of results.

“We are certain that by 6 pm one or two of the scopes will arrive with the results.”