INEC meets manufacturers of electronic voting machines

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission,  (INEC)  Professor Mahmood Yakubu and some of his National Commissioners met with certain manufacturers of Electronic Voting Machines on Monday in Abuja.

Professor Yakubu in his remarks noted that his Commission was committed to deepening the use of Information Communication Technology in the electoral process in the country.

He recalled that apart from the use of  Permanent Voters Card and the Smart Card  Reader, INEC has since deployed the use of Portals for uploading of unit-level results in real-time on Election Day to a portal for public view.

He maintained that “these are significant innovations that have deepened the transparency and credibility of elections and the electoral process in Nigeria.”

ALSO READ: We’ve referred allegations against Fayemi, myself by Ogudu, others to police, says Ekiti Attorney General

The INEC chairman revealed that over 40 companies were invited “to demonstrate to the Commission how their IT solutions meet our specifications. I wish to emphasise that this is only a demonstration that will enable the Commission to evaluate the available technology and where necessary finetune our specifications before proceeding to the next stage which will involve the participation of stakeholders.”

Professor Yakubu was however silent on the effective date for deployment of the EVM.

“The Commission is aware that Nigerians want us to deepen the use of technology in elections. Let me reassure Nigerians that the Commission is committed to expediting the process leading to the deployment of EVMs in elections in earnest.”

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE