The All Progressives Congress has sounded a note of warning to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to address all the problems associated with the use of card readers during the last general elections before the forthcoming governorship polls in Kogi and Bayelsa states.
Speaking on the role of political parties in sustaining the gains of the 2015 general elections, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the national publicity secretary of the APC urged INEC to put itself in order and conduct a better elections in the two states.
Mohammed was speaking at the ongoing 55th Annual Bar Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association in Abuja. He spoke on the ‘The APC Perspective.’
A former Delta state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dafe Ajpedeye (SAN), speaking on the topic; “Sustaining the gains of the 2015 general elections” from the angle of the Nigerian Bar Association Election Working Group, said the hope of conducting better elections in the country would be determined by the outcome of the forthcoming staggered elections in some states.
Attributing the success recorded by INEC in the last general elections to the deployment of technology, Mohammed said INEC must ensure a smooth functioning of the card readers ahead of the governorship elections scheduled for November 21, in Kogi state and December 5, in Bayelsa state.
“Arguably the biggest gain of the last election was the generally successful organisation of the elections and the fact that the results were largely acceptable to most Nigerians. Despite the pre-election fears of rigging and violence, and the unprecedentedly-vicious electioneering campaign, the elections were widely adjudged to be free, fair, credible and mostly violence-free.
“This made it easier not just for politicians but for ordinary Nigerians to accept the outcome.
Many have attributed the success of the polls to the use of technology, especially the card reader and the biometric voter’s card. I concur, though much work still needs to be done to ensure the smooth functioning of the card readers,” he said.
Many have attributed the success of the polls to the use of technology, especially the card reader and the biometric voter’s card. I concur, though much work still needs to be done to ensure the smooth functioning of the card readers,” he said.
Just yesterday, August 28, INEC disclosed its plans to introduce new innovations to the forthcoming gubernatorial elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states.
The commission said it plan to use an e-collation system that will transmit election results from the polling units. This will be done with the hope of ensuring the easy and transparent collation of results.
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