*Electronic Voting; Technologically Driven Initiatives will Fail except Inec Build Trust in Nigeria Electoral Process – Salako*
A renowned political pundit, Azeem Oladimeji Salako has said effort to adopt Electronic Voting in the conduct of election in Nigeria will amount to a waste of resources except the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC resolve to build trust in the nation’s electoral process.
Salako while speaking on the 5th January 2021 as guest analyst on TVC News said; the conduct of election is at the focus of consolidating democratic institution, noting that election is not only a process of choosing leaders (government) but essentially an ethical instrument that confers moral authority (legitimacy) on political leaders. He impressed that when one talks about a legitimate government, you are inferring that a government is credibly, fairly and justifiably elected by the people and to whom his authority is binded over them.
While acknowledging the development and progress made by INEC with reference to “electronic and diaspora voting” as contained in the 2021 budget, Salako warned that the effort will not only end in futility but will equally become counterproductive.
He noted that, the traditional method of conducting elections has either led to weak legitimacy of government in power, upturning of elections through court, or and plethora of litigations which according to him is not unconnected with absence of confidence and trust in the electoral process.
He impressed further that, despite its urge and necessity, technologically driven initiatives in Africa is inherently fraught with enormous suspicion and this will in turn complicate the existing complex issue of distrust between and amongst the people, political class/parties against the electoral institutions.
To avoid preponderances and surging of litigations, electoral violence, absence of legitimacy etc. the renowned political analyst submitted that INEC must as a matter of urgency integrate with other stakeholders to build trust in the country’s electoral process in such that initiatives such as electoral voting will not be welcomed with ingrained suspicion and mistrust.
