If you were impressed by the use of PVCs and provision of Smart Card Readers that ensured fake or cloned cards were detected and double voting in the last general elections, then get ready to be awed further as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has its sight set on new technology designed for easier collation and transmission of results.
In a session with representatives of political parties in Nigeria, to seek their advice on issues like electoral violence, inconclusiveness of elections and the rate of nullification,the Chairman of the commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu says INEC is making headway in consolidating its use of technology for electoral purposes rather than experimenting. According to him, technology has come to stay and the commission will work with that to ensure smoother electoral processes .
“Not only will the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and the Smart Card Readers remain, we are going to go a step higher to see if we can also deploy technology for collation and transmission of results so that we make the processes between the conclusion of elections at the Polling Units, the counting and final tally at the Collation Centre speedy and more accurate and technology driven,” he said.
Yakubu said the new methods are a pre-requisite to strengthen election management and further consolidate Nigeria's democracy.
“While strengthening the Card Reader and the PVCs, which were innovations introduced in 2015, as we approach 2019, we shall move an inch higher by introducing technology in the processes of collation and transmission of results so that the processes will be faster and more accurate.
Professor Mahmood Yakubu said there will be major improvements in the technology deployed for the 2015 elections and new innovations will also be introduced in the management of the voting process from the processes of accreditation, registrations to voting proper.
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