Former REC advocates migration to electronic voting
Dr Emeka Ononamadu, former INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Enugu State, has advocated for the nation’s migration to electronic voting.
“The key question is how can we consolidate on the use of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) or quickly migrate to electronic voting.
“Especially now that the BVAS has shown to Nigerians that it can work in all nooks and crannies of the country,” Ononamadu said in a media interaction on Thursday in Enugu.
He said that the questions Nigerians should be asking is how can we consolidate on the use of INEC Election Result Viewing Portal (IReV) and eliminate any encumbrance since it is adjudged acceptable by Nigeria.
According to him, after all, IReV is also providing adequate evidence for those challenging declarations of results.
He noted that electoral stakeholders should look at the positives of those reforms during the 2023 general election and commence discussion on areas to consolidate as well as areas to improve upon.
“If we approach the development of our election system only from the small prism of challenges, Nigeria will be running round the cycles without meaningful improvement of the system that on its own has generated enough milestones for immediate consolidation.
“For instance, it was the new system that disappeared the bogus figures that were usually churned out as results from states referred to as swing states,” Ononamadu, a Democracy and Development Consultant at Citizens Centre for Integrated Development and Social Right (CCIDESOR), said.
He said there was a need to reflect on the electoral innovations such as reforms, new technology, and strategic plan expansion of voter access that were achieved.
The former REC also noted that electoral stakeholders should extensively understudy how these reforms impacted on the presidential election, 28 gubernatorial elections, 109 senatorial, 360 house of representatives and 993 state houses of assembly elections.
Ononamadu, however, called for the strengthening and consolidation of eight positive areas within INEC reforms and innovations leading to the 2023 General Elections.
According to him, the eight positives included: successful online pre-registration of voters through the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR).
“Two, use of INEC Voter Enrollment Device (IVED) during the voter enrollment online; and thirdly, use of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which replaces the card reader and worked excellently during the elections.
“Interestingly both those that were declared winners and others challenging the declaration in courts are relying on the BVAS despite criticisms.
“Fourth positive is the use of the INEC Election Result Viewing Portal (IReV); and the fifth, the electoral reforms as pushed by INEC and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).
“The sixth is the expansion of voters’ access by creation of additional polling units all over the country; and seventh, the reduction of numbers of political parties from over 89 to 18.
“Finally, logistics tracking of INEC and voting materials within real-time,” he said.
