The controversy over the proposed deployment of electronic card reader machines for the conduct of the March 28 presidential election has taken a new dimension as 15 political parties and five presidential candidates yesterday asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to drop the idea or
face boycott of the polls.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, the parties said the idea of using card readers for the forthcoming elections as being planned by INEC has a lot of implications which may impact negatively on the conduct of credible elections.
Spokesperson of the political parties and the national chairman of the Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD), Dr. Onwubuya Breakforth, who failed to name the parties or the presidential candidates, said the first drawback is that the machine is a relatively new technology that had neither been tested nor tried in a mock election or previous formal elections.
According to him, “we the concerned group of leaders of political parties, presidential candidates, governorship and National Assembly candidates, hereby request INEC to stop forthwith, the use of the proposed card reader for the March 28 and April 11 general elections or we may consider boycotting the
election.”
For Breakforth, delaying the introduction of the card reader device would enable the nation and the electoral umpire itself properly ascertain its workability and efficiency in the conduct of the real general elections.
Breakforth added that the consequences of the use of card reader, which is time-bound, is most likely to lead to manipulation, and result in massive rigging of the election and ultimately disenfranchisement of eligible voters.
He said the decision by INEC would amount to subjecting the general election to a mere trial and error affair, should the card readers fail to live up to expectation.
He continued; “Moreover, if the card readers should develop some technical problems, there is a possibility that the consequences of such development would affect about 40 or 50 per cent of the polling booths nationwide. “Because of the tendency of the card reader device to develop possible technical faults any time during the voters accreditation process, all the political parties agreed with INEC recently that the election should be postponed in polling booths where a substantial number of card reader defaults are recorded because it would disrupt the entire election process.
“As major stakeholders in this election process, we suggest that the easiest method of accreditation and verification of PVCs should be for INEC to use manual confirmation of the pictures and particulars or data of the PVC holders to ensure that it corresponds with the voters register that is with the electoral officers in the polling units and in front of the party agents. This way, it will minimize the obvious chances of voters’ disenfranchisement.
“We the stakeholders are not saying that an improved and faster technology should not be used to achieve development in the electoral process, but it should not be in the general elections.
The PVCs have already solved a lot of these problems. “We also want INEC to respond to this emergency and also within 24 hours, approve our request because time is of the essence.
“This positive response is necessary so that we would be able to meet the demands of our party members and majority of the Nigerian voters who have expressed great anxiety and concern over this matter.
“Since Prof. Attahiru Jega has shown lack of professionalism and good judgement in his actions so far in the conduct of the 2015 elections, and since he has about three months to the end of his tenure as INEC chairman, we the stakeholders urge him to quietly consider proceeding on terminal leave so that a more competent person can handle the current election process.”
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