Kaduna Gov says State will be 1st to use electronic voting

Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai says electronic voting will be used to conduct the May 12 local government election.

According to the governor, it will be a first in a Nigerian election.

“Our local government elections will be the first ever in Nigeria conducted by electronic voting,” he said.

“By introducing electronic voting machines, this government is affirming its democratic credentials, a firm belief that people’s vote must count”, El-Rufai said.

Electronic voting in Nigeria

Nigeria deploys smart card readers in the identification of finger prints during elections, but the rest of the voting process goes on manually amid complaints of irregularities and inflation of figures.

Electronic voting is not recognized by the Nigerian constitution and is inadmissible as evidence in court.

El-Rufai has been a major backer of President Muhammadu Buhari and like the president, he’ll be seeking a second term in office in 2019.

Having his candidates emerge as chairmen in the 23 local governments in Kaduna will further the governor’s re-election bid.

El-Rufai is also battling security challenges in his State.