Only Electronic Voting System Can Guarantee Free, Fair Elections, iREV Must Be Constitutional- Atiku
Former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has called on the National Assembly to amend the 2022 Electoral Act to make electronic voting system mandatory at all levels of the election processes in Nigeria.
Atiku in a statement he personally signed on Thursday advocated a 9-point amendment that can strengthen the integrity of elections in Nigeria and cultivate the confidence of the people.
He noted that mandatory inclusion of electronic accreditation, upload of results on online portal (iREV) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and reliance on the electronic system for determination of election results must become part of the law in order to engender an accountable electoral system.
He noted that INEC must not be allowed to use its discretion on any part of the electioneering process as this has over the years proven to be inimical to free and fair elections in the country.
The former Vice President who noted that “it is not just enough to demand that eligible voters register for their PVCs,” reiterated that “It is pertinent that far-reaching electoral and judicial reforms are undertaken to ensure electoral integrity, strengthen public confidence, and promote judicial independence.”
Quoting a recent book by Prof Chidi Odinkalu, the former Vice President condemned a situation where “Judges Topple The People,” [lamenting that] Judges, “once constrained arbiters of electoral disputes, have become increasingly unconstrained in determining who holds power — shifting legitimacy from voters to the courts.
he noted that “In some cases, this influence [of judicial officers] has extended beyond the courtroom, creating a system where a small, connected elite decides leadership under the cover of legal process.”
Below are the nine recommendations advanced by the former Vice President:
The envisaged electoral and judicial reforms will return the power to the people to choose their leaders and not a conclave of interested parties.
There should be an amendment in the 2022 Electoral Act, providing for: First, mandatory use of BVAS for accreditation of voters and upload of election results from all the polling units and collation centres across Nigeria without any provision for discretion to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for manual accreditation of voters.
Second, mandatory electronic transmission of election results from the polling units to the iREV without any provision for discretion to the Independent National Electoral Commission for manual transmission of election results.
Third, collation of results at the Ward Collation Centers on the basis of the results already electronically transmitted to the iREV from the polling units without any provision for manual collation of results at the Ward Centers.
Fourth, collation of results at the Local Government or Area Council Collation Centers on the basis of the results already electronically transmitted to the iREV from the Ward Collation Centers without any provision for manual collation of results at the Local Government or Area Council Centers.
Fifth, collation of results at the State Collation Centers on the basis of the results already electronically transmitted to the iREV from the Local Government Collation Centers without any provision for manual collation of results at the State Center.
Sixth, collation of results at the National Collation Center on the basis of the results already electronically transmitted to the iREV from the State Collation Centers without any provision for manual collation of results at the National Council Center.
Seventh, at no point shall manual accreditation of voters, transmission of results, and collation of results be allowed.
Eight, the position of the Chairman of INEC, Resident Electoral Commissioners, and the National Electoral Commissioners shall be subjected to a democratic voting by the people.
Ninth, INEC to prove substantial compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act and the Constitution in the conduct of the election in an election petition and not the petitioner. -AA
Atiku recently resigned his membership of the PDP to join forces with other opposition political parties including the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The former Vice President, has however, delayed his official registration with the new party.
