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INEC To Introduce New Technologies

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5 years ago

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says  it is  reviewing its  adopted technologies for elections, with a view to introducing new ones to improve conduct of the elections ahead of 2023.
The INEC Director of Voter Education and Publicity Department (VEP), Mr Nick Dazang, disclosed this yesterday at a workshop for the department on the “Review of National Voter Education Manual” held in Keffi, Nasarawa State.
The five-day workshop is organised by INEC in partnership with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD).
Dazang, speaking with newsmen on the sideline of the workshop, said INEC began the process for electronic voting since 2004 when it introduced optic map registration forms.
“After that in 2010, the commission introduced the use of direct data capture machines, and then expanded the use of the machines in the conduct of the 2011 election.
“So, we have started the process as far back as 2004, culminating in the use of the Smart Card Reader (SCR) and the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) that we also used in 2015.
“But the commission is reviewing this process with a view to upgrading and improving the conduct of elections in 2023.
“The commission wants to introduce new technologies that will help deepen the conduct of the elections, and also improve on them. So the commission is working assiduously on that.
“Very soon, when the commission has taken a position, it will come out and explain to Nigerians how this is going to be done,” Dazang said.
He said that in introducing the new technologies, INEC would revisit the use of card readers and likely to introduce other technologies that will work seamlessly with electronic voting in 2023.
“The commission has been working on that in the past few months and God’s willing in the next few months the commission will make its position known to the public.”
He said that INEC would continue to introduce new technologies to the electoral system, not for the fancy of it, but the technologies that worked.
He noted that the commission had no regrets on the technologies it had so far introduced for the conduct of elections in Nigeria as they had helped in deepening the process and the transparency.
Dazang said that the commission was also reviewing its voter education to enable it to explain better the planned technologies to Nigerians.
“In reviewing our voter education, we are looking at certain dynamics including the technologies that the commission intend to introduce.
“We have to be on top of the matters so that we can explain the application of these technologies to Nigerians as we did when we introduced SCR, direct data capturing machines and PVCs.
He described voter education as key part of the electoral process that needed concerted efforts not just from INEC, but all stakeholders.
“If you look at what is happening around the globe including Nigeria, so many changes are happening that necessitate the urgency to review voter education.”
This, according to him, include the issue of changes in technology and COVID-19, saying we need to change our communications process to respond to the changes.
“We need to change our communications in response to growing youth population. We need to use strategies that resonate with the youth and women population.”
On the amendment of the Electoral Act, Dazang said that the commission was working seriously with two committees of the National Assembly, adding that substantial gains were being made on the amendment.
He expressed optimism that the NASS would rise to the challenge in meeting up with its promise to Nigeria to amend the Electoral Act before the end of the first quarter of 2021.
On the Anambra governorship election, Dazang said that the commission would at the appropriate time issue the date and timetable for the conduct of the election, latest by six months to the conduct.
He urged the staff members of the commission to always upgrade themselves on new technologies as well as continue to obey the COVID-19 safety protocols.
The WFD Country Representative in Nigeria, Mr Adebowale Olorunmola, expressed the foundation’s continued determination and support for INEC to deepen voter education in Nigeria, especially at the grassroots.
He said that the foundation started its partnership journey with INEC in 2015 in ensuring more inclusion of women and people living with disability in electoral process.
Olorunmola commended INEC for deepening voter education and more inclusive electoral process for women and people living with disabilities.
He said that the workshop was key in enhancing voter education from the current way to wider and deeper ways to improve on future elections.
“There is nothing like advanced democracy anymore, but work in progress.
“If you look at what has been happening in U.S. even with their decades of practising democracy they are still moving to deepen voter education.”
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INEC To Display Voters Register April 29 As CVR Phase II Closes Nationwide

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7 days ago

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April 20, 2026

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has concluded the second phase of its nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, recording a total of 3,748,704 completed registrations across the country ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The Commission disclosed the figure in its weekly update for week 14 of the second phase of the exercise, which ended on Friday, April 17, 2026.

According to the breakdown, 2,259,288 Nigerians completed their registration through the online pre-registration portal, while 1,489,416 finalized their registration physically at designated centres nationwide.

INEC noted that the figures remain preliminary and are subject to further verification and data cleaning processes to ensure accuracy ahead of the consolidation of the national voter register.

With the conclusion of the registration phase, the Commission has now shifted focus to the display of the Register of Voters for Claims and Objections, a statutory stage aimed at strengthening the credibility and integrity of the voters register.

The display exercise is scheduled to hold from April 29 to May 5, 2026, across designated centres nationwide, providing citizens the opportunity to verify their details and raise objections where necessary.

The Commission urged all registered voters from the concluded phase to take advantage of the exercise to confirm the accuracy of their information and assist in identifying ineligible entries, including duplicate registrations, deceased persons, and non-citizens.

INEC explained that the Continuous Voter Registration exercise is being conducted in phases, with the first phase running from August 18 to December 10, 2025, while the second phase commenced on January 5, 2026 and ended on April 17, 2026.

The Commission further stated that the date for the commencement of the third phase will be announced in due course.

Reaffirming its commitment to credible elections, INEC stressed that maintaining a clean and accurate voter register remains central to ensuring free, fair, and transparent electoral processes in Nigeria.

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Ekiti 2026: IPC Trains Journalists On Election Coverage

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7 days ago

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April 20, 2026

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Ahead of the forthcoming 2026 gubernatorial election in Ekiti State, the International Press Council (IPC), Lagos, last Friday, commenced a two-day stakeholders’ dialogue on credible election, as part of activities to train media professionals on the best approaches to the process.

The Executive Director of IPC, Mr Lanre Arogundade, informed the journalists that the dialogue was sponsored by the European Union, under the auspices of the EU-Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN II), Component 4: Support to Media.

According to the veteran media practitioner, the programme is aimed at strengthening the capacity of the media to promote credible elections through factual, accurate and fair reporting.

 

He explained that the programme is part of a broader five-year intervention designed to support democratic governance and improve the role of the media in Nigeria’s electoral process, stressing that fact-checking and inclusive reporting are critical responsibilities for journalists, especially during electioneering.

He described the media as a central role agent with regard to upholding transparency and accountability in the democratic process.

A resource person and Director of Journalism Clinic, Lagos, Mr Taiwo Obe, enjoined journalists to embrace the evolving technology so that they would not be in the backwaters in the practice of the profession.

He  advised journalists not to downplay Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their bid to remain relevant in the media environment by being abreast of the changing patterns of news consumption.

The journalism teacher explained that with digital transformation of the media industry, it had become imperative for journalists to constantly upgrade and update their skills, stressing the fundamental place of attitude and self-development and underscored the dynamic nature of media consumption in the digital age, thereby compelling journalists to embrace tools and platforms, but without much reliance on AI.

In his lecture, a Professor of Mass Communication at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Adebola Aderibigbe, advised journalists in Ekiti State to ensure that coverage of the upcoming governorship poll is issue-based rather than dwelling on  personalities.

He added that sensationalism should not occupy the front-burner of any discussions concerning the 2026 election, admonishing that sustenance of democracy is anchored on responsible journalism.

”Journalists must prioritise accuracy, fairness and balance in their reports by verifying facts and giving all parties involved in political matters the opportunity to present their views”, he said.

 

According to the university don, the election will not be defined by personalities, but by issues. ”Let issues be the pivotal ring upon which every discussion should be made. Sensationalisation of issues should not be the bedrock of discussions in the 2026 election”, he added.

 

“Do not hear from Party A without hearing from Party B, otherwise the report will be skewed to one side and once issues of elections are skewed, problems will naturally arise”, he stressed.

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GROUP BLASTS ATIKU CRITICAL COMMENTS AGAINST JONATHAN  … SAYS EX-VP CAREER ASPIRANT 

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7 days ago

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April 20, 2026

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The National Coordinator of the Goodluck Jonathan Legacy Project (GJLP ), Engr Juan Amechee, has described as unfortunate and revisionist, recent remarks by former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who attributed governance challenges during former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration to inexperience.
The GJLP Coordinator and technocrat, in a statement, noted that the ex-Vice President’s claim was faulty and lacks merit, describing him as a ‘career presidential candidate’ who has repeatedly sought power without being tested at the highest level of national leadership.
“To describe Dr. Jonathan as inexperienced is a flight from reality. Before assuming the presidency,  Jonathan served as Deputy Governor, Governor, Vice President, and Acting President.
“If this distinguished résumé qualifies as ‘inexperience,’ one wonders what standard the former Vice President considers adequate, perhaps his own record of serial aspirations which, by his own argument, should have translated into opportunity but has never been tested at the helm”, the group said.
Engr Amechee further noted that Alhaji Atiku lacks the tact to govern at the highest level, citing the political division and self-centeredness that have characterised his presence in every political party he has joined.
The statement captioned ‘Atiku’s  Revisionism and Jonathan’s Records: a response to claims of inexperience’ read in part: “Our attention has been drawn to the recent remarks by former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in which he attributed governance challenges during the Jonathan administration to inexperience.
“Ordinarily, such a claim would not merit a response because the truth is self-evident. However, when historical revisionism is presented as analysis, it becomes necessary to correct the record.
“It is unfortunate that this statement is coming from a career Presidential candidate who lacks the moral authority to speak about experience where globally respected leaders are discussing leadership.
“If experience is defined by being a serial Presidential candidate, a role he seemingly hopes to reprise in 2027, then one must ask why such experience has failed to translate into national leadership for him”.
The Statement added: “To describe Dr. Jonathan as ‘inexperienced’ is not only misleading, it is demonstrably false. Before assuming the presidency, he served as Deputy Governor, Governor, Vice-President, and Acting President during the constitutional crisis following the illness of his former boss, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. If that résumé qualifies as “inexperience,” one wonders what standard the former Vice-President considers adequate.
“Throughout his years in politics, Atiku has shown a lack of the tact and experience required to govern at the highest level, proving to be a figure of political division in every party he finds himself.
“Jonathan presided over an administration with one of the most reform-driven periods in Nigeria’s history. Under his watch, Nigeria became Africa’s largest economy, attracted the highest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on the continent, and kept inflation at a single digit”.
The group’s leader said data obtained from the World Bank indicated that Nigeria recorded its lowest poverty rate since 1999 under Dr Jonathan, saying the former President’s administration brought down poverty to 35.8%—making his tenure the most prosperous of the Fourth Republic.
“Jonathan’s achievements in agriculture were equally notable. In 2013, he was honoured by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in Rome for meeting the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on hunger eradication well ahead of the 2025 target.
“Furthermore, a leader’s credibility is measured by their international influence. Nigeria has served as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council only five times since 1960; remarkably, two of those terms occurred during Jonathan’s administration.
“Similarly, it was Jonathan who facilitated the emergence of Dr. Akinwumi Adesina as the first Nigerian President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) in 2015.
“On democracy, Jonathan set a standard that remains unmatched: he conceded power peacefully, placing national stability above personal ambition. That singular act, born of his far-reaching electoral reforms, did more to strengthen our democracy than decades of political rhetoric”, the GJLP said.
The Pro-Jonathan group noted that Nigerians were discerning enough to distinguish between those who have held power and delivered measurable progress, and those who have repeatedly sought it while offering retrospective critiques.
“Dr. Jonathan’s record is public, measurable, and enduring. No amount of convenient revisionism can erase it”, the group stated.
By Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
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