Nigeria, Sept. 30 -- Before the 2023 General Election, Nigeria's result system was largely a physical chain in which polling unit results were recorded on paper and transmitted upward through successive collation centres.

After voting, the presiding officer counted the ballots, recorded the results on Form EC8A, had party agents and officials endorse them, announced the results, and transported the materials to the designated collation centre.

Collation officers aggregated the results at the ward, local government area (LGA), and state levels, after which the returning officer declared the winner. Proper counting, transportation, collation, and announcement of election results in this era, without compromise, can be regarded as a hallma...