2023: Cyberattacks targeted INEC platforms — Okoye
Cyberattacks Allegedly Target INEC Platforms During 2023 Presidential Election
A former National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Festus Okoye, has stated that the commission’s digital platforms were subjected to cyberattacks during the 2023 presidential election.
Okoye made this assertion in a recent interview on “Deep Insights,” a podcast hosted by Austin Agbonsuremi.
Ahead of the election, INEC had assured the public that results from polling units would be uploaded to its Result Viewing Portal, known as IReV. This online platform allows voters, political parties, candidates, observers, and other stakeholders to view scanned copies of election result sheets. However, the portal experienced prolonged inactivity during the election, leading to significant concern among the electorate.
During the interview, Okoye acknowledged that INEC officials faced challenges in uploading results on election day. Initially, they believed these issues could be resolved quickly.
“What really happened was that the technology malfunctioned. That is the truth of the matter,” Okoye stated. He noted that the commission aimed to inform the public about the difficulties it encountered in a timely manner.
A press statement was prepared to explain the situation, but Okoye expressed his reservations about the technical jargon used in the document. This led to the term “glitch” being associated with the issues experienced on election day.
He expressed disappointment regarding the technical failures, especially given the extensive preparations undertaken by the commission prior to the election.
Additionally, Okoye revealed that the commission’s platforms were subjected to various cyberattacks throughout the election period. “I know that there were all sorts of cyberattacks on our platforms during that particular period,” he noted. However, he clarified that he could not definitively ascertain whether these cyberattacks were directly linked to the problems faced by IReV.
Okoye indicated that INEC’s Deputy Director of Information and Communications Technology subsequently appeared before the election petition tribunal to explain the incident.
