Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has said that the state has demonstrated its predisposition to electronic voting which reflects the will of the people.
He said with the method adopted in the state and the level of successes recorded, he would have to see the President, Muhammadu Buhari, on advocacy, for electronic voting and transfer of results, from the polling units to the central server nationwide.
The Kaduna State Governor, who appeared on Channels tv morning show said he would also take similar advocacy to the President of the Senate, Senator, Ahmad Lawan and his counterpart, Femi Gbajabiamila, the Speaker of the House of Representatives to reconsider the position of the twin chamber on electronic voting and transfer of results.
El-Rufai said when certain measures are adopted the risks of electronic transmission of results would be overcome, in the interest of the public and transparency. He stressed that Nigeria has the manpower and intellectual prowess to do this.
“I will personally take this up with Mr President, the President of the Senate and with Mr Speaker of the House and try to get more advocacy, I think what we need to understand is that this system is nearly full proof,” El-Rufai stated.
The governor, tasked the legislators, to take a second look at the use of technology for voting and transfer of results, from the polling units for transparency and credibility of the outcome of the election.
“I think the National Assembly should take a second look at the provisions regarding the use of technology in elections.
“People are talking about an electronic transfer, that is just one aspect of the challenge. The other aspect is to do the election electronically, it is simple, anybody that can use a phone, can use that system and vote and be reasonably sure that his vote would count.”
The Kaduna State Governor said legislators must dismiss with parochial thoughts of self-serving tendencies, which was not populist in a democracy.
He maintained that the voting pattern in the National Assembly was not necessarily that of the All Progressives Congress as a political party but personal.
An overwhelming number of All Progressives legislators voted against the electronic transfer of results when both chambers at different dates voted on the electronic transfer of election results.
Of the three senators representing Kaduna State two of the ruling All Progressives Party (APC), Senator, Uba Sani, Kaduna Central and Senator, Suleiman Abu Kwari, Kaduna North voted against the electronic transfer of election results while the lone People’s Democratic (PDP) Senator, Danjuma Tells La’ah, Kaduna South voted in support of the electronic transfer of election results.
The governor noted that the challenge fears expressed on electronic voting and transfer of results has been conquered by the Kaduna State election body.
“The reason why you saw the voting along partisan lines is that incumbents want to protect what they have, if you are the incumbent you would want to protect what you have.
“This is the system you know and this is the system that is likely to return you back to the office.
“People that do not understand technology are genuine concerns about it, what you do not know you fear, this is understandable.
“Electronic elections is not full proof, we have had the election in Kenya where the election server was hacked and the result was changed and the Supreme court had to annul the elections.
“What is the solution, the solution is what we have adopted in Kaduna State, have multiple ways of having the result other than electronic transmission.
“It is true that electronic transmissions of results can be hacked. If you have it physically on USB; if you have the paper result signed by all the agents; if you have the security agencies with copies of all the results,” it becomes difficult for those who think compromising the result in the server would give them an edge.”
El-Rufai said the solution to the fears entertained is also in the technology.
“We print at least 10 copies of the results and give all the security agencies; we give the other party agents then the electronic version of the result is done in USB that is physically carried to the collation centre, in addition to what the central server has.
“Now unless these three checked and all the boxes are tick you reject the result. It thinks that would provide enough guarantees against fears that the electronic transmissions of results will lead to tampering
“There are two aspects to this electronic voting, the first is the voting process itself, that we have shown can be full-proof. The improvement we suggested was to integrate the details in the smart card reader and biometrics into the machine and effect, then, the machine becomes almost impossible to manipulate.
“Secondly, let us say the voting is done and was now collated how does it get to the server without being hacked, the fear is that the server can be hacked.
“You can introduce the two backups that we have in Kaduna which are the physical result signed by the agents and given to security agencies and electronic result on the USB that can then be delivered to the collation centre and checked.
“Unless the three tally, then the result of that polling unit or that ward are cancelled.
“If you embed that in the law, that is the evidence that can be tendered, then it will take care of everything. It can be tendered in court.
“I think just as technology has its risks, technology is the solution. If we use our brains and there are enough brains in Nigeria to be able to do this.
“I think we have enough time to work on this and we are ready to share our experience with INEC. Indeed, INEC sent a team in 2018 and they did in this election, I think it is a direction INEC is thinking about.”
He maintained that the party was not against electronic voting and electronic transfer of results, else, the party would have directed otherwise in the state.
“I do not think APC has a position against electronic voting, I would know, if the party has such a position, I will not be allowed to make it in my state if the party has an otherwise position on the matter.
“I think people took the individual position but having said that, I will say that with the success in Kaduna, a success that is almost total, we are going to do a bit more in explaining this,” El-Rufai noted.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
Electronic Transfer: El-Rufai to take advocacy to PMB, Lawan, Gbajabiamila
We Have Not Had Water Supply In Months ― Abeokuta Residents
In spite of the huge investment in the water sector by the government and international organisations, water scarcity has grown to become a perennial nightmare for residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. This report x-rays the lives and experiences of residents in getting clean, potable and affordable water amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases in the state… Electronic Transfer: El-Rufai to take advocacy to PMB, Lawan, Gbajabiamila Electronic Transfer: El-Rufai to take advocacy to PMB, Lawan, Gbajabiamila Electronic Transfer: El-Rufai to take advocacy to PMB, Lawan, Gbajabiamila Electronic Transfer: El-Rufai to take advocacy to PMB, Lawan, Gbajabiamila
and then