Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu has emphasised on the use of electronic components as a sure way the Commission can deliver free and fair elections.
He spoke while hosting the visiting Chairperson of the National Electoral Commission, Davidetta Browne Lansanah (NEC) of Liberia in Abuja.
Yakubu said the world was steadily moving away from the manual way of conducting elections and Nigeria is also convinced that
the use of appropriate technology is one of the best guarantees for a credible election.
He said, “the truth is that nations are increasingly moving away from manual processes by deploying more technology to further guarantee electoral credibility.
”I wish to commend you for the bold step you have taken in this regard. As requested, we will share our experience with you to enable you make an informed decision for Liberia”, he said.
“I am glad to note that you have decided to move away from the manual register by conducting a pilot biometric voter registration in Liberia as early as November this year.
“It is also gratifying that you have chosen to understudy Nigeria’s processes in detail, particularly the choice of biometric technology ahead of your next General Election which, like Nigeria, holds in 2023”.
INEC boss recalled that Nigeria’s electoral umpire has made its staff available to assist Liberia’s electoral commission in the past, pledging that they would continue to cooperate.
“You may recall that twice in the last three years, our technical staff worked with your Commission on the register of voters. The initial assistance facilitated the conclusion of your 2017 General Election.
“Again, our staff returned to Liberia for the same reason ahead of the mid-term Senatorial election and a constitutional referendum held in December last year. Based on the lessons learnt from both exercises, our technical staff recommended that Liberia should introduce the biometric registration of voters”, he said.
“In our interactions over the next two days, we will demonstrate to you and your team the processes for both the online and physical registration, the equipment used for the exercise, staff requirement and training, the procedure for cleaning up the field data, the compilation and printing of the register for elections and the system of storage and retrieval of information.
“We will also take you to some of the registration centres in Abuja for a practical and on-the-spot experience of the exercise”, the INEC boss concluded.
Also, the visiting Chairperson of NEC, Republic of Liberia, Mrs. Davidetta Browne Lansanah, appreciated the Electoral Boss for the gesture towards her and the team.
Said she: “I, on behalf of my country, Liberia; NEC and my delegation thank most sincerely my brother INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu do an accepting to host us.
