A former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega, has called for the electronic transmission of results as part of reforms to strengthen the country’s democratic institutions.
Jega, the immediate past chairman of the electoral umpire, said this on Thursday when he spoke as a guest on the June 12 edition of the Platform organised by the Covenant Nation in the Iganmu area of Lagos.
“There is a need for an increase in the use of technology for elections for transparency and accountability,” the former INEC chief said in the programme, which was attended by dignitaries, including past and present governors, former ministers, among others.
“For example, there is also the need to improve upon the provisions of the Electoral Act 2003 to make electronic transmission of results mandatory.”
He said there is a need to ensure transparent testing of electoral technologies due to a lack of trust by Nigerians, especially in their introduction.
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“It is very important that there is a transparent process of civil engagement in testing this equipment before they are deployed,” he said.
According to him, there is also a need to clear any ambiguity about the electronic transmission of results in the Electoral Act.
Jega’s comment came years after the country’s highly contested 2023 presidential election, won by Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Following the election, Tinubu’s opponents challenged his emergence in court, with the argument over the electronic transmission of results one of the key issues during the legal tussle. But the Supreme Court ruled that INEC is at liberty to determine the method to transmit election results.
Apart from making a case for the electronic transmission of results, Jega also advocated the need for part-time legislators at both the national and state levels.
According to him, Nigeria needs part-time legislators and a reduction in the number of elected lawmakers to ease the pressure on the country’s funds.
