The National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Rauf Aregbesola, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to openly demonstrate all electoral technologies before each election.
Speaking at a session on Innovation in Electoral Technology, Aregbesola said it was wrong for the commission to introduce systems on election day without prior public demonstration.
“Don’t tell us you are using BVAS or IReV only for us to wake up on election day and find that everything has changed. The 2022 Electoral Act compels INEC to demonstrate to Nigerians how it intends to conduct elections,” he said.
He explained that openness and uniformity in the use of electoral technology would reduce confusion, manipulation, and public distrust.
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The ADC official also wondered why Nigeria has not embraced real-time result display systems already adopted in other democratic countries.
Aregbesola further criticized the restricted access given to party agents and election observers during polls, insisting that their closer participation would strengthen transparency.
“Agents of parties should closely monitor the accreditation process. They must not be kept at a distance on election day. It is crucial to confirm that the person holding the voter card is indeed the rightful owner,” he added.