The decision of the Senate to grant the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the wherewithal to implement the electronic transmission of election results has continued to draw applause from observers.
A former INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, has revealed that this mandate will ensure a drastic reduction in electoral fraud that has trailed previous elections.
Jega stated this on Thursday, during a press briefing at the ongoing ECOWAS Parliament’s High-level Seminar in Winneba, Ghana.
The Seminar themed “Two Decades of Democratic Elections in ECOWAS Member States: Achievements, Challenges, Challenges and the Way Forward” seeks to proffer solutions to electoral inconsistencies in Member States.
Jega, who commended the passage of the bill by the National Assembly which now gives INEC power to transmit results electronically, said it was a positive development ahead of 2023 elections.
He stated that it was one of the legal frameworks that would guarantee credible elections in the country.
“I have no doubt that Nigeria has the competence and capacity to implement electronic transmission of result.
“Since 2012, INEC has been piloting an electronic transmission of result system with robust software, with robust security, and they have piloted it in many elections.
“I am happy now that the National Assembly has agreed for this to be done and has created the legal framework
“One of the major areas where fraud takes place in the elections of Nigeria is in the transmission of results manually.
“From the polling units, to the ward level, to the constituency level, electronic transmission of result will wipe this out,” Jega said.
Jega also urged Nigerians to trust the new process, adding that it is wrong to assume that results will not be accurately transmitted without a 100 per cent network coverage.
He said that even in developed countries, they are sometimes confronted with the challenge of poor network, but once 70 per cent of results can be transmitted electronically, it is a pass.
“It is wrong to assume that if you cannot have 100 per cent coverage internet coverage then you cannot do electronic transmission of results, who says so?
“If you can do it in 80 per cent of the polling units, or even 70 per cent, it is still an A and you will have eliminated fraud in 70 per cent or 80 per cent of the polling units in terms of transmission.
“Even in developed countries, there are still areas where you can have challenges of internet connectivity.
“We have to accept that in these modern times, we can use technology to improve the integrity of elections and it is the only way to go,” Jega added.
