CSOs Canvass Electronic Voting System For Free, Credible Polls

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and other major stakeholders in Ebonyi State yesterday advocated for the use of electronic voting system for future elections to enhance free, fair and credible electoral process.
They argued that if adopted, the electronic voting system would reduce, if not eradicate, election malpractices in the country.
The stakeholders and representatives of various civil society organisations spoke in Abakaliki at a programme organised to evaluate the 2019 general elections and chart the way forward for the country’s electoral process.
Mr George Etamesor, Acting Director, Human Rights and Conflict Resolution, identified electronic voting system as the only panacea to human interference, saying that it would also reduce the cost of conducting elections.
According to the human rights activist, election is the foundation of democracy, good governance and all-round development.
“Electronic voting system is the best way to reduce the logistics problems usually associated with elections, training of personnel and movement of voting materials to different parts of the country.”
Mr Emmanuel Nwojiji, a Senior Programme Officer with Safe Motherhood Ladies Association (SMHLA), advised INEC to work toward the adoption of the system for future elections in order to address the current challenges.
“INEC should adopt the system so as to minimise the difficulties being experienced before and during elections,” Nwojiji said.
A participant, Mrs Margaret Atuma, urged INEC to embark on massive sensitisation across the country on the need for electronic voting system as a way of perfecting the country’s electoral process.
She called for attitudinal change on the part of Nigerians, saying that it was only through this that the country could get elections right.
Another participant, Mrs Eunice Nweke, promised to take what she had gained from the programme to the grassroots.
The facilitator, Mr Chukwudi Nwankwo, said that the system, if embraced, would help immensely in the collation of votes and guarantee effective electoral process.