| dc.description.abstract | Despite the introduction of technology in Nigeria’s elections (BVAS, IReV, etc.), tangible improvements are yet to be witnessed, as these technological deployments in elections have not been able to address the very issues it was deployed to tackle. Nigeria's elections are still characterised by electoral fraud, with over-voting, double accreditation, vote buying, disenfranchisement, and result manipulation amongst others, owing to the malfunctioning of technological devices. In recent elections, while the IReV, in most cases, could not display real-time election results, the BVAS, on one hand, was unable to detect and prevent double accreditation, and on the other hand, was unable to capture the biometrics of some voters, thereby resulting in disenfranchisement.
It is against this background that the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), in collaboration with the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), convened a national dialogue. The dialogue was to examine the prospect of election technology for improved future electoral outcomes. Drawing stakeholders from academia, civil society organisations, political parties, lawmakers and seasoned election management experts, the following were recommended:
a. The National Assembly may wish to amend Section 154 (1) of the 1999 Constitution to provide for the appointment of the INEC Chairman through a multi-stakeholders selection panel, formed by the National Assembly, comprising representatives from the Legislature, judiciary, the academia and civil society organisations. The selection panel will call for applications, shortlists candidates, conduct public interviews and forward to the President, 5 best performed candidates along with their scores for the president to appoint one as the INEC Chairman, subject to Senate confirmation;
b. The National Assembly may wish to give due consideration to the Special Seats Bill currently under deliberation, as it presents a valuable opportunity to enhance inclusive representation within the legislative framework, particularly for historically underrepresented groups such as women, youth, and persons with disabilities;
c. The National Assembly may also wish to amend Sections 60(5) and 64(4 – 8) to remove ambiguity and legally entrench electronic transmission of election results in Nigeria, adding that non compliance invalidates results; and
d. The National Assembly may wish to encourage INEC to ensure that election technological devices are designed and produced locally as far as practicable. This will not only ensure that the devices are indigenous but will also ensure data security. | en_US |
