- These aforementioned experiences of Nigerians in the hands of INEC have sowed the seed of political and electoral apathy in their minds.
- Repeated failed promises of fair and transparent elections have left them disillusioned and consumed by misgivings
The penchant of Nigeria’s electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for grandiosity is puzzling, if not irritating. It has a way of making the seemingly easy task of conducting free, fair and credible elections a complex and complicated exercise. It relishes fixating on a needless and cumbersome routine while struggling to grasp the basic and most important aspects of its duties.
Last week, INEC announced that it will be establishing a dedicated Artificial Intelligence Division within its Information and Communication Technology Department. Expectedly, the announcement was couched in the usual technology buzzword and catchphrase. The announcement was met with castigation in some quarters while many were largely indifferent to it. The reason for this negative reaction is not far-fetched.
This is not the first time INEC has announced an infusion of technology into the electoral process to enhance electoral credibility and strengthen the nation’s democracy. However, with each introduction of new technology comes a reversal of previous gains made by the commission. So much so that one cannot help but begin to wonder if these much-touted technologies are designed to improve our elections or make them worse.
In the build-up to the 2023 general election, the commission a good game about how transmission of election results electronically would enhance election transparency and address rigging as voters would see the election results in real-time. It made quite a song and dance about how the Bi-Modal Voter Accreditation System and the INEC Result Viewing Portal are not scams but game changers. In fact, the enthusiasm and Zeal shown by many, especially youths, towards the 2023 elections were fuelled by the commission’s assurance to use the BVAS and IREV efficiently to ensure that the people’s vote count and their will are not subverted.
After repeatedly assuring the populace that it was for the election, the first sign that the commission was not going to make good on the promises came on the day of the presidential election when it announced that there had been a glitch and that the uploading of election results to the IREV will be impossible. Interestingly, senatorial and House of Representatives election results, which were held on the same day, were successfully uploaded to the IREV. Needless to say, the development left many hitherto upbeat and enthusiastic voters and deflated and forlorn.
When it comes to conducting elections, we are still a long way from getting it right, and no amount of introduction of technology into the system will address the fundamental problems that plague INEC. We still struggle to do something as basic as counting and collating votes. In 2023, the counting, collation of 22 million votes for the presidential election and announcement of its winner took five days. To put things in context, it took the Election Commission of India (ECI) less than 48 hours to count 642 million votes and announce the winners of the election. Technology is widely used in the election.
It must be said that the potency and efficiency of these machines and mechanisms are not in doubt. If anything, the reason they have not been able to address the issues that they are meant to tackle is largely due to human factors. It’s not uncommon for compromised INEC officials to work in cahoots with corrupt and power-hungry politicians to sabotage them to achieve a predetermined electoral outcome. Even more worrisome is the fact that when those who are at the receiving end of this obvious rigging and manipulation of the elections seek redress, the commission frustrates their effort to get a fair hearing and justice.
These aforementioned experiences of Nigerians in the hands of INEC have sowed the seed of political and electoral apathy in their minds. Repeated failed promises of fair and transparent elections have left them disillusioned and consumed by misgivings. INEC’s grandstanding about infusing technology into our electoral process may not achieve much if it does not show the willingness to use them objectively and dispassionately. It is not about talking about the right thing, it is about doing the right thing.
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