INEC adopts new voting method ahead of 2019 election

Electoral commission says the new method is
among the best practices in the world

Assures Nigerians that the new method
would be used locally

States further that it will encourage
transparency in voting system
Nigerians may have to cope with the new method
the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) is adopting ahead of the 2019 general
elections.

This is because the electoral body has declared
that there would be no manual method of voting
in the next general election as this would be
phased out all over the country.

The Nation reports that INEC chairman, Professor
Mahmood Yakubu made this revelation while
addressing executives of the forum of State
Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) during
a courtesy call at the commission’s Abuja
headquarters.
He stated that INEC is doing all it can to
replace the manual process with the latest
technology in the conduct of local in elections.

“We can no longer continue to conduct elections
manually in Nigeria, we must introduce modern
technology as being done in other countries, very
soon the use of technology for the conduct of
local elections in the Country will be mandatory
“It will make the process transparent and very
open as it should be, the use of smart card,
otherwise known as Card reader machine has
come to stay, though it requires a lot of
resources, we see we can do it because it adds
value and more credibility the electoral process
in the country, some states have been using it in
the conduct of their elections, we are seeing how
we can make it to go round,” Professor Yakubu
said.

He noted also that the SIECs of the commission
would deepen democracy in Nigerian by
collaborating to work together.

According to him: “We will continue to collaborate
and cooperate with SEICs and other Organisations
in improving elections management in the
country.”

Meanwhile, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode has
expressed his desire to run for an elective office
in Nigeria come 2019.

In an exclusive interview with NAIJ.com, Fani-
Kayode, who has been in custody of the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for about
two weeks, revealed many secrets about himself
among other issues.