Gov wants Nigeria to adopt electronic voting, says it helped Kaduna save N1.7bn

dimeji akinloye

May 13, 2018 12:48 AM

El-Rufai said the e-voting will make it easier for the electorate to cast their votes in a lesser time and that it will eliminate rigging.

The Kaduna State Governor,

He said the e-voting system is easier for the electorate to cast their votes in a lesser time and that it will eliminate the rigging strategy of ballot box snatching.

El-Rufai stated this on Channels Television on Saturday, May 12, 2018.

He said, "I think it can work at the national level; it has been successful, and we believe it can be duplicated across the country.

"We think that this is a very solid foundation for the development of our democracy because a credible, fair, and transparent election will determine the quality of leaders going forward."

The governor, however, said that time may not permit the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to implement the system in 2019.

According to him, it took the state a considerable time in planning for the electronic system of voting adopted by Kaduna State Electoral Commission (KADSIECOM) in Saturday's election.

E-voting saves money

El-Rufai added that the e-voting system helped the government to save about N1.7 billion that could have been spent printing ballot papers with high-security features.

He said the electronic machines can be used for the next 10 years - they only require updated software for subsequent elections.

ALSO READ: El-Rufai says Kaduna State will be 1st to use electronic voting

The governor commended state electoral commission for making sure the process was successful.

This is the first time the electronic voting machine (EVM) is being used in Nigeria and it is said to be the second time in Africa.

dimeji akinloye