2023: INEC Promises Credible Elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reiterated its resolve to continue to deepen the use of technology to improve on the conduct of credible elections.

Its National Commissioner and Chairperson, Planning and Monitoring Committee, Prof. Rhoda Gumus, restated this when she received a delegation from the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) in Abuja.

Recall that on August 6, 2021, INEC’s Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said the electoral umpire would continue to deepen the use of technology in elections across the country.

He then spoke at the opening of a two-day retreat for INEC officers in Keffi, Nasarawa State

The INEC boss did not need new laws to deploy certain technologies.

When the NSE delegation visited INEC Friday, Gumus reiterated Yakubu’s position, stating that the role of technology in delivering free, fair, credible and widely accepted elections could not be overemphasized.

She noted that technology had brought a lot of transformation to Nigeria’s democracy and reaffirmed INEC’s determination to sustain the use of innovative technology to deepen democracy in the country.

The National Commissioner recalled how the introduction of the Smart Card Reader revolutionized the conduct and credibility of elections in 2015.

She added that the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System had also eliminated malpractices in the electoral process, giving it more credibility.

“Conducting elections in this modern day has become freer, more credible, and more transparent using technology and this has come to stay,’’ Gumus stressed.

She reaffirmed that technological innovations had engendered confidence in the electoral process.

Gumus assured the visitors that she would bring to bear her expertise and experience as an engineer to add value and improve on the credibility of the electoral process.