The Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has deepened and will continue to use technology in the electoral process in Nigeria in order to minimize human intervention and invariably improve the transparency of elections in the country.
Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of INEC said at a strategic interactive meeting with online publishers in Lagos that such technological innovations have greatly assisted the Commission in conducting all stages of the electoral process in a seamless, transparent and efficient manner.
He said the innovations became imperative since the 2019 general election as various activities of the Commission are now conducted partially or entirely online through dedicated portals.
He listed the activities as follows:
- Voter Pre-registration
- Nomination of Candidates for Election by Political Parties
- Submission of List of Polling & Collation Agents by Political Parties
- Accreditation of National & International Observers for Election
- Accreditation of Media Organisations for Elections
Making reference to the recent governorship election in Anambra State, the INEC Chairman said:
“Suffice it to say that inspite of the glitches, the introduction and use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has justified our determination to deepen the deployment of technology in the electorsl process. Given the credible conclusion of the election, it has strengthened our belief that even the minimal introduction of technology in voter accreditation is better than the best manual process.”
