2011 Elections: Abia Governor Advocates Electronic Voting

Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State at the weekend said that if the 2011 elections must be free and fair, the nation should adopt the electronic voting system.

Governor Orji stated that the only way to stop electoral fraud witnessed in manual voting is for the federal government to embrace the e-voting in the next general elections.

The Governor who was the guest speaker at the 2009 Alumni Annual Lecture of the University of Ibadan (UI) stated that the automation of all the operations of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the 2011 polls was necessary to check unnecessary and avoidable human errors.

Besides, he added that the e-system reduces disagreement and electoral malpractices and urged the government to join the train to check fraud and quicken the process of voting and release of results.

Orji also called on the National Assembly to expedite action on the on-going constitution review, “pointing out that no electoral or political reforms can work without amending the constitution.”

“The National Assembly should expedite action on the constitution review in order to round of work on it on time to give enough time for the operational framework to be put in place before the 2011 polls,” he stated.

In his lecture lilted, “Political and electoral Reforms – Imperatives for survival of Nigeria, Democracy,” the Governor alerted on the need for government at all levels to effectively empower the citizenry to resist being manipulated by politicians in subsequent polls.

He noted that hunger and poverty have contributed a great ideal to the instability and corruption raving the land, adding that tackling the problem in the polity will curtail the unnecessary and mindless manipulation of the citizenry, especially the youths, by politicians.

“I believe strongly that violence in elections will disappear the moment we engage our youths and other vulnerable persons in meaningful activities. At it stands now, politicians find their litany of thugs, election-riggers and other miscreants among this class of people.”