The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, on Friday expressed the confidence that the result of Saturday’s presidential election will be ready within 48 hours.
Jega gave the assurance at a join press conference he addressed with the Director General of the National Youth Service Corps, Brigadier General Johnson Olawumi, in Abuja.
The INEC chairman expressed further confidence that in the states, INEC would be able to get full result within 24 hours.
The Peoples Democratic Party, the All Progressives Congress and 12 other political parties are fielding candidates for the election.
Jega said the commission is making effort to ensure that results are released much earlier than in 2011.
He, however, denied the allegations that a purported master key for the commission’s data base has been compromised.
According to him, the data base of the commission does not use master key but sort code for encryption and decryption.
Jega added that only the producers of the data base infrastructure have the sort code.
According to him, the company, Act Technologies Limited, was approved by the Federal Executive Council.
He denied that the company was blacklisted by INEC.
Jega further noted that the process of awarding the contract to the company passed all required due process.
His words: “It is regrettable that people can say all sorts of things and get away freely with it.
“It is a last minute attempt to undermine the credibility of the elections.”
Prof. Jega cautioned corps members who will serve as ad hoc staff for the election to take the assignment with all seriousness it deserves.
He assured them that their security and welfare had been taken care of.
Olawumi urged the corps members to handle the assignment with high integrity.
Olawumi urged them to stay away from any temptation that may tarnish the image of the scheme.
Olawumi said INEC has paid the corps members all their entitlements, while the NYSC has paid them half of their allowances for the assignment.
He added the decision was for them to resist temptations from politicians to compromise.
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