INEC To Monitor 2019 Polls Via Satellite Transmission

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has revealed it would deploy satellite to remote areas where 3G and 4G networks are not available, to monitor the 2019 general elections. 

To this end, INEC had sought NIGCOMSAT’s help to use its Sat1-R satellite to electronically transmit 2019 election results immediately after counting at each polling unit across the country. 

The Chairman of the electoral commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this during a working visit to NIGCOMSAT headquarters in Abuja Wednesday. The INEC delegation, which was received by the Managing Director Ms Abimbola Alale and other management staff of the agency, toured the agency’s facilities for about 15 minutes. 

Prof Yakubu who said he was impressed with he saw in the country’s satellite communication agency, stated that INEC was committed to deepening the deployment of technology in elections. He added that through NIGCOMSAT’s satellite and connectivity provided by telecom operators, the results of elections of each of the 119, 973 polling units nationwide would be electronically transmitted on the spot and real time, including the scanned images of result sheets. 

Aside from this, the INEC chairman also said the commission wants NIGCOMSAT to help in voter education through electronics message display as the 2019 elections draw near. “It is for this reason that we wish to leverage on the capacity of NIGCOMSAT to provide a wide range of telecommunication services.

From Daily Trust