Opinion: Curbing electoral fraud through electronic voting By – ABIODUN AKINBULE
On February 23, 2019, Nigeria witnessed another broader electoral cycle with the conduct of the presidential and National Assembly elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
It was, however, believed that the euphoria that usually marked elections in Nigeria was missing as there were reports of low voter turnouts in some states.
According to INEC, 34.75 per cent representing a total number of 28,614,190 cast their votes which is 0.91 per cent less than number of accredited voters of 35.66 per cent (29,364,209) of total registered voters of 84, 004,084.
There is a geometric decrease in the number of the electorate participating in the election in Nigeria over the years. Ranging from the southern region that recorded low voter turnout to the northern areas which witnessed, as usual, increase in voter turnout.
It is safe to conclude that people are still doubtful about the country’s electoral process and don’t bother about the characters of persons contesting elective positions. They also seem not to care about what becomes of Nigeria’s democracy in future.
From the snatching of ballot boxes in some areas, burning of electoral materials and INEC offices by political thugs, this year’s election was not largely different from the past ones since the advent of democracy.
Despite the shortcomings, I commend INEC and congratulate the winners. But those who felt cheated in the process have the right to seek justice in court.
Election matters a lot because it is core of democracy. Any elections that receive applause for credibility will undoubtedly help in deepening democratic values and strengthening the foundation of holding the elected accountable.
Today, our electoral system in every election season seems flawed. Many have been disenchanted with this and it eventually affects every election because the voters exhibit apathy.
It is even worse when the elected don’t deliver on their campaign promises. The backlash is that voters express disinterest in elections as they often mull that their votes don’t count and their voices unheard.
Violence, irregularities and lately, vote-buying, that now characterise Nigeria’s electoral system are pointers to the fact that there is a need for overhaul.
Though it has been argued that no system can manifest all the positive outcomes expected from a standard electoral process, modern democracies are increasingly holding referendum to ascertain the will of the people through free and fair electoral process devoid of graft, intimidation and suppression. The complexity of Nigerian elections makes the process outdated as there are many difficulties and errors involved.
Any electoral process that will foster democracy must meet international standards in terms of eligibility, uniqueness, accuracy, integrity, reliability, flexibility, convenience, transparency and cost effectiveness. It is not in doubt that Nigeria’s current electoral system lacks many of the aforementioned.
This is why there is an urgent need to chart a new electoral course to preserve the country’s democracy. I believe that the introduction of electronic voting can hugely assist the country in this regard.
Electronic voting system is long overdue in Nigeria’s polity but we continually prefer the analogue style because of interest to subvert people’s will to the detriment of democracy. Voter apathy didn’t just happen in our political space overnight, it’s fuelled by the current defective political system that fails to serve any purpose.
Our voting system is incredibly boring, further distancing the voters, and that’s why our voting process needs to be reviewed to meet the requirements of producing free and fair elections acceptable to all.
Electronic voting is designed for the electorate to vote more conveniently. Some of its processes allow early voting for a period of time before Election Day. It allows for home, office and general voting from anywhere imbued with an Internet-connected computer. With added convenience and flexibility, it is hoped that voter participation in election may increase. The process is no longer a novelty since it has been used in developed and many developing countries and in various private capacities for online polls. Adopting this process for our polity is important for obvious reasons considering the satisfaction and legitimacy it will engender among electoral body, political class and voters as a whole.
No innovation is too sophisticated or hard to improve the quality of our electoral process that produces the people’s representatives.
This is the heart of our democracy and that’s why we must not allow issues bordering on security and illiteracy to thwart our democratic process.
With electronic voting, rigging, multiple registrations and voting, cases of political violence and hijacking of ballot boxes which had become the norm in our polity will be checked. By allowing more room for transparency and non-interference with the electoral process, voter confidence will be boosted and there will be increasing participation in the process.
Hacking of sites shouldn’t be enough reason to abandon the process because with absolute carefulness and diligence, hacking will be a thing of the past. We should also be careful not to jettison the idea of electronic voting on the excuse that there are illiterate voters. Democracy is a vehicle for development and such an excuse should be considered at the initial stage by using codes amplifying the languages understood by the voters.
The fear that power outage can frustrate the process should also be allayed from the outset by providing generators at strategic voting points as electricity problem is still a recurring decimal. It is important to ensure that citizens have hope in elections that will choose leaders whose actions will determine the nation’s advancement and people as a whole.
A technology-driven electoral process that guarantees accuracy, reliability and transparency is no doubt gaining attention globally and Nigeria shouldn’t be left behind. Several developed and developing countries have caught the wave of modern voting trend and Nigeria cannot afford to lag behind.
These countries started the process from somewhere and today they boast of preserving their democracies through it. We cannot afford to cling irritatingly to analogue model of conducting elections while other countries have moved on with modern voting pattern.
The Computer Based Test used by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board experienced teething problems when it started, but now the story is worthwhile. It was first introduced in some places and made optional. But now, it is a compulsory method of conducting the examination and many higher institutions in Nigeria have adopted the process.
I suggest that INEC should take a cue from that by working assiduously to make the electoral process a thing of pride.
The concern about our democracy is the lack of trust in the present electoral system coupled with flagrant voter apathy. Electronic voting should be considered as a matter of urgency considering the doubt and credibility challenges usually associated with our elections every four years. It is imperative that all the arms of government work to review the 2015 electoral reform for the country’s advancement. Punch
Akinbule sent this piece via [email protected]
