A few weeks ago, precisely on Friday, 4th
May 2018, Governor Nasir El-rufai of Kaduna State elatedly informed his fellow
members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) alongside the general
public that the then forthcoming elections scheduled to take place in the 23
Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state would be conducted by electronic
voting.
The governor disclosed this while
speaking at the flag-off of the APC’s campaign for the said polls, which held
at the famous Kaduna Township Stadium, the state’s capital territory. He
boasted “We have made the most significant investment ever to promote electoral
integrity and transparency in Nigeria. Our local government elections will be
the first ever in Nigeria conducted by electronic voting.”
It’s noteworthy that electronic voting
otherwise known as e-voting is a kind of voting that involves using electronic
system to cast and count votes usually with the aid of an Electronic Voting
Machine (EVM). It is of two main types: the one physically supervised by
representatives of the electoral umpire and the remote e-voting whereby votes
are cast via the internet from any location. The former requires the EVM whilst
the latter could be done with one’s personal computer.
The merits of electronic voting cannot
be overemphasized. It enables vote to be cast with ease. It increases the speed
of voting. It is cost effective; in other words, it tremendously reduces the
cost of conducting an election by engaging only a few electoral officials
rather than in the case of manual voting system that requires much manpower.
An
electronic voting can provide an improved accessibility for the electorate that
are physically challenged, thereby enabling them to participate actively at the
polls. It’s transparent because it can easily be observed by anyone present at
the polling unit. It helps to reduce human error to a great extent. It makes
the election results to be announced faster than expected, thus building trust.
Among all, e-voting is auditable with
the assistance of Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT). The EVM prints a
paper receipt each time a vote is cast electronically. This makes it easy to
perform recounts and audits because one can compare the electronic count with
the paper count. Owing to the overall gains and effects of electronic voting,
it increases turnout and engagement among the electorate.
On
Saturday, 12th May 2018, the LG polls successfully held in 21 LGAs,
leaving that of the remaining 2 LGAs pending till further notice due to some
circumstances as planned by the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission
(KADSIECOM). It was, however, reported that some of the EVMs malfunctioned in
some polling units while some were made away by hoodlums to unknown
destinations.
Away from the stipulated machine and
human errors; after the results were announced, the leading opposition platform
– the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) – through the state’s Chairman Mr. Felix
Hassan Hyet outrightly rejected the outcome of the polls, saying the party had
been shortchanged as a result of manipulations.
The released results showed that the APC
swept virtually all the LGAs while PDP managed to secure about four councils.
It would be recalled that other political parties boycotted the elections,
citing foreseen irregularities.
Mr. Hyet, who threatened to channel the
party’s grievances to court, claimed that most of the results announced were
through radio stations instead of the returning officers whom he alleged
disappeared immediately after the conclusion of the elections.
Gov. El-rufai, on his part, had testified that
human error was recorded during the exercise as he claimed that the EVMs
performed perfectly as anticipated. In his statewide address while being
interviewed by newsmen after the polls, he said “only human error was recorded.
All the electronic voting machines functioned perfectly. We shall investigate
the cause of the human error.”
The outcome of the polls in their
totality signifies that we still have a long way to go as regards electronic
voting. It was gathered that some of the EVMs malfunctioned even as the
governor had claimed that they all performed excellently. The diverse reactions
trailing the functionality of the EVMs used at the polls are good reasons to
note that the system isn’t yet ripe for the practice.
We have equally learnt that some of the
EVMs were carted away by thugs in the process. This particular loophole implies
that adequate security wasn’t on ground to safeguard the polling units and the
sensitive materials, or perhaps the security personnel compromised their
obligations. This again raises another room for great worry.
It
was further alleged that the returning officers in charge of the various LGAs
vanished into thin air after concluding the elections, and the governor had
reportedly frowned at the anomaly. As we are yet to realize where they later
reappeared, it’s imperative to acknowledge that the so-called returning
officers have a thousand and one questions to answer if the required
investigations must be carried out by the concerned authority.
As I appreciate Gov. El-rufai for giving us
the prototype of how the e-voting would look like if the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) eventually adopts it for the Nigeria’s political
sphere, it’s my pleasure to notify the commission that if well prepared, the
country can really get it right.
Since we have observed the lapses bordering on
lack of civilization, insecurity and backwardness in use of technology, there’s
absolutely no need to suggest to the INEC on what needs to be done towards
ensuring that the e-voting system is duly implemented in the future.
During
his speech prior to the LG polls, Gov. El-rufai opined that the INEC could at
the moment start preparing to make use of the e-voting pattern come 2023
general elections. I completely concur with the suggestion. Hence, since time
is apparently against us regarding the fast approaching 2019 polls, Nigeria as
a country ought to right now consider making use of the e-voting system come
2013.
Hence, the INEC must hold the bull by
the horn with a view to ensuring that the needful is done. As the world is
already engulfed in technologies and every facet of the global community
gradually becoming digitally-inclined, the electoral umpire needn’t shy away
from taking into cognizance that it’s time the Nigerian state inculcated
e-voting into its electoral mechanism.
So,
as we wait patiently for the apt time, I implore the INEC to employ every
needed effort towards ushering in the long awaited moment. Notwithstanding, for
this lofty dream to be actualized, we must be willing to tell ourselves nothing
but the truth. Think about it!
Comrade Fred Nwaozor
National Coordinator, Right Thinkers
________________________
frednwaozor@gmail.com
Twitter: @mediambassador
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