Permanent Voters Cards (PVC): The use of data capture and voters card.
The PVC is comparable to bank cards. The information there is based on the technical information gathered about the similar technologies the bank cards architecture is built on.
The PVC like the bank card has a small microchip that store information to protect against unauthorized use. Security features include fingerprint technology. This makes stolen or cloned PVC useless unless all the officials and party agents at the Pooling Unit (PU) connive to allow it.
Each time a PVC is used, the card reader generates a unique transaction code that makes it impossible for that card to be used for voting again. Secondly, the fingerprint technology matches the user to their card so someone else will be unable to use the card, therefore protects data.
The protection comes from the fact that the data on chip cards continuously changes making it very difficult to steal data. An authorized person would have to open up the tiny chips in the card to extract the data that it holds. Imagine doing this for millions of cards.
On election day, each polling units has a card reader (or more than 1) which if hacked into is useless because it is only loaded with data from one polling unit. It also means there will be electronic record of that unit, Number of voters, PVC, number that actually voted.
What the electronic record does is to make sure results can be crosschecked if needed. So it is impossible for the government to write results. It is ‘impossible’ to hack the entire INEC system?
Transmission Process
The PU results will then be transmitted to the RA collection officers at the ward level. At this level, the officer will announce the result of councilorship elections and declare the winner.
The RA collation officer will then transfer the remainder of the results to the LGA collation officer. The LGA CO will then collate the previously announced results from each ward to declare the winner of the Local government election.
State Assembly
The ward CO will collate the results and send to the state Constituency Returning Officer (CRO) or the LGA CO. Who it is sent to depend on geographical area cover so the party need to keep an eye out.
All the results are sent to the CRO who collates the results and announce the winners of the state assembly and declare winners.
Presidential
The registration area or Ward CO will submit ward results to the LGA collation officer. The LGA CO will then collate the result from all the wards and send to State CO. The state CO will collate and tally all the LGA result. This LGA result summary is then submitted to the Chief Electoral Commissioner (INEC chairperson). INEC Chairman will then collate all the state results. Announce the results and declare winners as the president-elect of Nigeria.
There are check and balances at every level of collation. It is very difficult to change ward results. The only way it can be rigged is to announce results different from those at the wards, LGA etc.
