By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
Apparently to reassure the citizenry of its sincerity of purpose in going about its duty, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that it was determined to deepen the use of technology in the electoral process in Nigeria.
This is even as the nation’s electoral umpire said that electronic voting is one of the legacies the commission wanted to leave for Nigerian people.
Addressing a workshop on Technological Applications in the Continuous Voter Registration Process Systems for Heads of Department of ICT in the States and FCT on Monday in Lagos State, the INEC National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education, Barrister Festus Okoye, said the Commission must improve with every election and with every electoral cycle.
He said based on the resolve of the Commission to improve the quality of the register of voters and provide the opportunity for every eligible Nigerian to register to vote, some technological innovations were recently approved and introduced to the voter registration system.
Okoye said the development was in keeping with the commission’s avowed determination to deepen the use of technology in the electoral process through innovations that introduce desirable changes and new solutions to the electoral process.
He said the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) process and the registration of voters was a crucial building block for any electoral democracy.
He reiterated INEC believe that a credible register of voters is a sine qua non in the electoral process.
“While a register of voters of questionable integrity undermines the credibility of an election and erodes the trust of the people in the electoral outcomes, an accurate and reliable register of voters not only enhances electoral transparency and integrity; it confers credibility on electoral outcomes”, Okoye said.
