Online Voting, A Project We Are Working On – INEC

Nigeria’s electoral umpire – the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) – is already working on a project to allow the
electorate to cast their votes online and decongest crowds at
polling stations across the country.

Mr Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of
Information and Voter Education Committee, disclosed this on
Thursday.

He, however, did not give a specific timeframe as to when online
voting would be implemented when he made the disclosure on Channels
Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily.

“Going forward, this commission is determined to improve on its
use of technology in the electoral process … we have gone very far
in terms of our resolve to introduce electronic voting machines in
the electoral process,” the INEC official said.

He added, “People voting online or using the internet to vote is
a project that the commission is working on and at the appropriate
time, the commission will unveil what it is doing.

“But the immediate task we have now, our immediate
responsibility is to introduce the use of electronic voting
machines in the electoral process and we are confident that in the
next few months, the National Assembly and the Presidency will
finish work on the legal framework.”

Okoye stated that the electoral umpire has to a large extent
tapped into the use of technology in the electoral process.

According to him, one of the other things INEC intends to do
relating to the continuous voters’ registration is to create an
online portal where eligible persons who do not suffer any legal
liability or disability can register online to decongest the
registration centres.

The INEC national commissioner decried the recent attacks on the
commission’s offices in parts of the country, especially in the
southern region.

He noted that the electoral umpire has been taken proactive
steps to prevent a reoccurrence of such ugly incidents.

In terms of security, Okoye disclosed that INEC has met with the
Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security for advice
and information in order to protect its assets more professionally
and appropriately.

“We have also liaise with them and called for more and better
coordination among the security agencies in terms of sharing
information and in terms of making information available to the
commission anytime they are in possession of any information that
will be critical in terms of protecting our infrastructure and
other assets,” he said.

Nigeria’s electoral umpire – the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) – is already working on a project to allow the
electorate to cast their votes online and decongest crowds at
polling stations across the country.

Mr Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of
Information and Voter Education Committee, disclosed this on
Thursday.

He, however, did not give a specific timeframe as to when online
voting would be implemented when he made the disclosure on Channels
Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily.

“Going forward, this commission is determined to improve on its
use of technology in the electoral process … we have gone very far
in terms of our resolve to introduce electronic voting machines in
the electoral process,” the INEC official said.

He added, “People voting online or using the internet to vote is
a project that the commission is working on and at the appropriate
time, the commission will unveil what it is doing.

“But the immediate task we have now, our immediate
responsibility is to introduce the use of electronic voting
machines in the electoral process and we are confident that in the
next few months, the National Assembly and the Presidency will
finish work on the legal framework.”

Okoye stated that the electoral umpire has to a large extent
tapped into the use of technology in the electoral process.

According to him, one of the other things INEC intends to do
relating to the continuous voters’ registration is to create an
online portal where eligible persons who do not suffer any legal
liability or disability can register online to decongest the
registration centres.

The INEC national commissioner decried the recent attacks on the
commission’s offices in parts of the country, especially in the
southern region.

He noted that the electoral umpire has been taken proactive
steps to prevent a reoccurrence of such ugly incidents.

In terms of security, Okoye disclosed that INEC has met with the
Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security for advice
and information in order to protect its assets more professionally
and appropriately.

“We have also liaise with them and called for more and better
coordination among the security agencies in terms of sharing
information and in terms of making information available to the
commission anytime they are in possession of any information that
will be critical in terms of protecting our infrastructure and
other assets,” he said.