Anthony Iwuoma
The All Progressives Congress (APC), has expressed it’s opposition to the use of modern technology as proposed by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in next year’s general elections.
According to the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, the poor power situation in the country would be an impediment to the exercise.
Adamu made his views known when before a delegation of the Commonwealth Pre-Election team that visited him at the APC national secretariat in Abuja.
The Commonwealth team was led by Ms. Abiola Sunmonu, Adviser and Head of African Section, Political Team of the Observer Group.
In her remarks, Ms.Sunmonu said her team was on a pre-election assessment mission to Nigeria: “To look at the political landscape, to understand the scope in terms of preparations ahead of the election.”
However, the former Nasarawa State governor expressed reservations against the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and INEC Election Result Viewing Portal (IReV), two initiatives of the INEC to promote credibility of the electoral process.
The new amendment of Clause 52 (2) of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, the National Assembly also resolved that “voting at an election and transmission of results under this Bill shall be in accordance with the procedure determined by the Commission, which may include electronic voting.”
Opposing the use of electronic devices, Adamu stated: “First, I was privileged to serve as a senator …. our concern is how ready are we to deploy some of these technologies as regards transmission because we are taking a major step in transmitting election results in real-time.
“To transmit results, every part of the nation Nigeria I’m not sure that the network covers it, I know that even in parts of Abuja there is no network and we have from now till February when in substantial parts of the country there is no electricity. INEC must assure us 100 percent that as of when due in transmitting results, they are ready because they spoke about recharging batteries but we had in previous elections when it says it can’t recharge.”
Speaking in the same vein, the APC National Organising Secretary, Ambassador Suleiman Argungu, claimed that electronic transmission would fail in Kebbi, his home state.
According to him: “As a rider to what the national chairman just said about INEC transmitting results directly during the coming election, apart from the issue of electricity that is unstable, a lot of the villages and communities bordering other countries for instance my state Kebbi that is bordering two nations during the previous elections the network of Nigeria for all the networks, Glo, MTN, Airtel you can’t get them. If you want to get them you have to use the number of the other countries to reach them. So, during election, I don’t see how the transmission of results will work. I see it coming.”
The stance of the APC notwithstanding, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC Chairman reiterated the resolve of the electoral umpire to go ahead with the use of BVAS and IReV.
In a separate session, Mahmood assured the Commonwealth team that his Commission would not fail Nigerians and the international community in promoting the integrity of the electoral process next year.
Speaking in the same vein, the APC National Organising Secretary, Ambassador Suleiman Argungu, claimed that electronic transmission would fail in Kebbi, his home state.
According to him: “As a rider to what the national chairman just said about INEC transmitting results directly during the coming election, apart from the issue of electricity that is unstable, a lot of the villages and communities bordering other countries for instance my state Kebbi that is bordering two nations during the previous elections the network of Nigeria for all the networks, Glo, MTN, Airtel you can’t get them. If you want to get them you have to use the number of the other countries to reach them. So, during election, I don’t see how the transmission of results will work. I see it coming.”
The stance of the APC notwithstanding, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC Chairman reiterated the resolve of the electoral umpire to go ahead with the use of BVAS and IReV.
In a separate session, Mahmood assured the Commonwealth team that his Commission would not fail Nigerians and the international community in promoting the integrity of the electoral process next year.
“We will continue to use modern technology to promote the integrity of the process. We won’t fail Nigerians, we won’t fail the international community. We won’t undermine ourselves, this technology has come to stay. We want to assure you that 2023 will be the best ever,” the INEC Chairman vowed.
