Nigeria: INEC Recommends E-Voting Machine For Future
Elections
The election commission in Nigeria, INEC says it will seek
for an amendment of existing electoral laws to allow the use of
Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) for future elections.
While presenting the commission's report on the 2007 general
elections, INEC Chairman, Professor Maurice Iwu, said the
introduction of EVM would have solved the problems that attended
the 2007 polls if it had been used.
”It is necessary to press for amendments of the laws to allow
for its deployment…It would be recalled that a critical
component of the Electronic Voting System (EVS) the EVM, which
held promise for credible elections, was not approved by the
National Assembly,” Iwu noted.
He said INEC would also canvass for amendments to the extant
electoral laws to secure for itself, financial independence and
operational flexibility.
“The lack of financial autonomy was a major problem in the
conduct of the 2007 general elections,” the chairman added.
Professor Iwu also suggested that political parties should have
basic liberal internal mechanisms that could sustain a vibrant
and fast growing democratic culture.
Reviews
In order to improve on the responsibility and accountability of
parties’ leadership, he said INEC would introduce an on-line
completion of nomination formalities.
On political violence, Iwu said INEC intended to set in motion a
mechanism to “facilitate fresh, albeit, critical look at the
electoral laws.” He said such a review was necessary to allow
INEC to prosecute perpetrators of electoral violence.
INEC also suggested that its powers to prosecute electoral
offenders should be boosted by additional powers to investigate
and apprehend.
There were complaints of electoral malpractice, including
snatching of ballot boxes, rigging, and disenfranchisement of
some voters in some parts of the country during the last April
general election.
NAN/YINKA
