SIR: Recent elections in Nigeria have continued to reveal how increasingly difficult it is to manipulate the process either by politicians or electoral officials. This may not be unconnected with the improving synergy between electoral stakeholders and continuous deployment of technology to enhance further transparency while blocking loopholes that can be exploited for electoral manipulation. There is indeed value in adopting new technologies to enhance the credibility of the electoral process – from the deployment of Smart Card Reader in the 2015 general elections to the introduction of the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IREV) in 2020, which has largely improved the transparency of the results declared at the polling units and now introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
In the Edo and Ondo Governorship election held in 2020, citizens could view election results as early as 4pm as over 90% of results were already at the portal due to the deployment of the Z-pad that was used to snap and send results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal. This continues to increase transparency and citizens’ confidence in the process. This was also the case with the just concluded Anambra Governorship elections as most of the candidates have already accepted the results and congratulated the winner of the election.
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While the result collation process is becoming transparent through technology, there is need for cautious optimism with deployment of these devices due to inevitable challenges. The just-concluded Anambra governorship election has revealed that technology by itself is not the panacea to credible elections but rather its effective deployment. An example is the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) which was commended by election stakeholders.
As an observer on the field, I witnessed how voters, including aged men and nursing mothers, had to stand under the scorching sun for many hours waiting for the device to be fixed so they could exercise their franchise. Thus, it’s not out of place to suggest that some impatient voters may have been left frustrated without casting their votes.
In this vein, there is a need to undertake an audit of the BVAS and ensure all the technological glitches with the device are resolved to prevent delays and possible disenfranchisement of voters in future elections. The commission must conduct a comprehensive feasibility mapping of internet service providers for locations where off-cycle elections will be conducted in the near future to prevent recurrence of these challenges ahead of the 2023 general elections.
In all, the deployment of technology in Nigeria’s election is a welcome but it’s a development we must approach with cautious optimism due to all mechanisms needed to put in place for an effective deployment.
- Moshood Isah.
Yiaga Africa, Abuja.
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