WE MUST INTRODUCE TECHNOLOGY IN THE CONDUCT OF LOCAL ELECTIONS – INEC CHAIRMAN

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu has called for the introduction of technology in the conduct of Local Government Elections. He said technology was important in attesting to the integrity of the process and also safeguarding the will of the people.

Professor Yakubu made the call yesterday when he received a delegation from the Forum of State Independent Electoral Commissions of Nigeria (FOSIECON), at the INEC headquarters in Abuja.

Addressing members of FOSIECON, he stressed that: “The time has come for the State Electoral Commissions to take a step further. INEC has taken a pioneering decision in the last general elections to introduce technology in our elections. The time has come for the State Electoral Commissions to follow suit. We can’t continue to operate manual elections any longer”.
The INEC Chairman observed that the State Independent Electoral Commissions play a pivotal role in deepening democracy in Nigeria since they were saddled with the responsibility of conducting elections at the foundation level.

He assured the Forum of the Commission’s commitment to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the last Commission and assured that the cooperation would not only be maintained but enhanced. Said he: “We will discuss further on the terms of the MoU entered. If there are areas that require review or strengthening, I wish to assure you that INEC will give expeditious consideration to such reviews so that we will continue to deepen our democratic processes”.

The INEC Chairman explained that Sokoto State had successfully deployed the Smart Card Reader (SCR) in its Local Government Elections and Kaduna state would be the second to deploy the technology. He expressed delight that the Commission had been approached by State Independent Electoral Commissions on their intention to deploy the SCR.

Some of the areas INEC and the State Independent Electoral Commissions have been collaborating include: knowledge sharing, training and capacity building, mutual election observation, Continuous Voter Registration and access to election materials.

Chairperson of FOSIECON, who is Chairperson of the Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission, Mrs. Gloria Ukpong, earlier, lauded the cooperation with INEC in the past and called for strengthening of the existing ties.

She commended the introduction of the Smart Card Reader and underscored its role in ensuring transparency in the electoral process.

Mrs. Ukpong, said, observing elections conducted by INEC had given the State Electoral Bodies very important experiences that were being deployed locally to deepen democracy at the Local Government Elections.