Card Reader: As Controversy Rages On

A House of Assembly candidate of Peoples Democratic Party in Mushin Local Government Area, Mr Lekan Fijabi with others (left), testing the workings of Card Readers in Onigbongbo Ward, Ikeja LGA, Lagos, recently.

Of all the innovations
the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under Prof. Attahiru Jega came up with, the use of the Smart Card Readers (SCR) for the forthcoming general elections appears to be most controversial. Barely 13 days to the polls, the controversy still rages on.
There is hardly any issue regarding the execution of the 2015 general elections that has elicited as much naivety and contradictory reactions from key actors as the CR. Not even the postponement of the elections from the initial February 14 and 28. The bone of contention has been whether to use the CR or not.
The political class has been perplexed, particularly since the demonstration of the use of the CR in selected states of the country penultimate weekend:While those against using it find it difficult to openly come out to denounce the device, given its effective blockage of fake Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), others in support of the use of the device were also constrained by the shortcomings associated with it, as seen in its failure to effectively read the thumbprints of a significant number of potential voters in many places it was used.
Key stakeholders have taken divergent positions on the device. For the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), its Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, said there is no going back on the use of the CR, because”the cards would stop multiple voting by ensuring that only possessors of the PVCs can vote at voting points where the PVCs are programmed to”.
His Chief Press Secretary, Mr.Kayode Idowu explained that”nothing happened during the mock election to warrant going back on the use of card readers for the general elections. The deployment of the card readers was successful and even international observers from the UN have attested to it.Contrary to some claims, only one case of card reader challenge was recorded at our Situation Room and it was a human thing.
“Concerning some alleged hitches, there were guidelines on what to do at any polling unit to make sure that an eligible voter is allowed to exercise his or her right.
“The flaws being claimed were anticipated. The states where fingerprints were not authenticated had the PVC incident form procedure, it was agreed with political parties that the form will be filled.”
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had, following the trial-run of the CR, expressed reservations, noting difficulties in the accreditation through the failure of the biometric confirmation among some voters. Governors of PDP- controlled states were the first to oppose it.
The governors said they are opposed to the use of the machine because it has proved to be ineffective and hence constitutes a burden to the accreditation process. They met in Lagos last week, and vowed to scuttle any attempt by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to use the devise in the March 28 and April 11 elections.
Their reasons, given at different fora, have semblance with the stand taken by youths under the aegis of Middle Belt Concerned Youths who staged a protest at the headquarters of INEC in Abuja against the use of PVCs and the card readers for the elections.
Their take was that “judging from what transpired during the (CR test-run) exercise, it has been proven that batteries of the card readers do not function for more than three hours. The question therefore is, what happens if the battery fails during the election proper, especially in the rural areas?”
However, the All Progressives Congress (APC), the major opposition, on its part, said it was satisfied with the device and urged the commission to go ahead with the use of the card readers.The party noted that the opposition to the use of CR in the coming elections was an indication that those in the corridors of power see the machine as the nemesis of those opposed to the idea of a free and fair election.
From the perspective of the APC, “Only dishonest politicians, those who plan to rig, those who have engaged in a massive purchase of PVCs and those who have something to hide are opposed to use of the machine.
“For the avoidance of doubt, our party is ready for any tool, including the card reader that will ensure that the votes of Nigerians will count in the election…The card reader has been demonstrated to work, including at the Senate, and no one must come out to tell Nigerians anything to the contrary.”
While supporting the APC stand, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and senatorial candidate for Anambra Central Senatorial Zone, Chief Victor Umeh, said his party is throwing its weight behind the use of CR in the 2015 general elections.
“The use of card reader is a sure way of fighting election rigging, especially when it is known that some politicians prefer to use a system that would make it possible for them to write results that would favour them as they had done in the past. APGA is in support of free, fair and credible election and the use of card reader can guarantee free and fair election, which is why we are supporting it”, he said.
While acknowledging the challenges noticed during the test-run of the CR, the electoral umpire has assured Nigerians that all hope is not lost, as voters whose thumbprints are not read by the CR could still vote but would have to fill an incident report form to reflect the development.
This position is, however, viewed as a connivance between the APC and INEC by those who opposed the use of the CR, as represented by the PDP, whose scepticism was expressly stated by the Middle Belt Concerned Youths.
“The simple fact that APC and INEC are on the same page on the use of PVCs and card readers speaks volumes about their plan to rig the forthcoming polls, which all right-thinking and well-meaning Nigerians must resist with vigour”, they said.
According to the group, those that claim that the electronic machines did not fail during the mock exercise in their states “are simply playing to the gallery; it is a cover-up and a far cry from the ugly reality starring everybody in the face”.
The group summarized its stand thus: “In as much as we appreciate the steadfastness and enormous innovations introduced by INEC to bequeath free and fair elections to the nation, it is still the contention of majority of Nigerians that such efforts must not be sacrificed on the altar of a fool-hardy insistence of proceeding with the use of PVCs, despite the glaring imperfections inherent in them. Insisting on using them for the elections will only end up disenfranchising a huge segment of Nigeria’s voting population.
“We frown at this orchestrated plot to disenfranchise a high number of eligible Nigerian voters by INEC as epitomised in its determination to go ahead with the use of PVCs and card readers regardless of the genuine concerns expressed by relevant stakeholders in the polity, a development that is likely to compromise the integrity of the elections.
“Unlike the TVCs, which are easy to obtain and use during elections, PVCs are a bit technically complicated for an average rural dweller. Instead of this straight-jacketed insistence of using PVCs and card readers, INEC should rather be thinking of fashioning out alternative measures of ensuring the success of the elections that will not only be acceptable to Nigerians, but also meet international standards”.
The stands taken by all concerned party show that while they all agree that INEC should conduct free, fair and credible elections, they are sceptical about the support of the other party for a process, in this case, the use of the card reader, which INEC says will checkmate rigging.
The stand of the opposition to the use of the CR is that it will disenfranchise a notable population of voters. The question that readily comes to mind is, what informed the esoteric belief and consequent apprehension that this population that may be so disenfranchised will all be supporters of the PDP, which is spearheading the opposition against the use of the card reader?
Beyond winning the election, it is high time political parties stood for enthronement of real democracy and electoral system that would stand the test of time. They should therefore know that given the innovations of theINEC under the chairmanship of Professor Jega, what the electoral body needs now is suggestions on have to confront the challenges noticed in the use of the CR.
Consequently, all stakeholders should be thinking of fashioning out alternative measures of ensuring the success of the elections that will not only be acceptable to Nigerians, but also meet international standards.

Soibi Max-Alalibo