- The lawmaker underscored the need to leverage technology for conduct of elections, saying such move would foster credibility and transparency
The Senator representing Southern Borno, Ali Ndume has said that the convoluted and complex nature of Nigerian electoral process is deliberate.
Speaking on Sunday during an interactive session with newsmen in Kano after attending the Senate retreat on constitutional review, Ndume said the electoral process is deliberately made complicated in order to give room for manipulation and rigging.
The former Senate Majority Leader stated that there was no need to create a new body solely for conducting elections every four years, arguing that the existing INEC is underutilized and could handle these responsibilities.
The lawmaker underscored the need to leverage technology for conduct of elections, saying such move would foster credibility and transparency while also strengthening the nation’s electoral process and democracy.
“I support local government autonomy and the idea of INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) conducting local government polls. One issue being discussed in the National Assembly is the creation of a National Local Government Electoral Commission, and I am not in support of it.
“The elections in Nigeria are deliberately complicated to allow for manipulation. Why don’t we make laws that ensure the votes count? Why not enable citizens to elect someone from their phones? Why not allow INEC to monitor elections through technology and create a situation room? Google can tell you your location in real-time, so why can’t we leverage technology for our elections?” he asked.
The lawmaker further stated that the underlying problem with Nigeria’s electoral system is a lack of sincerity, honesty, and fear of God among political leaders