Coalition of Democrats for Electoral Reform (CODER), a not-for-profit organisation, has called on Prof. Attahiru Jega , chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to consider the introduction of digital technology in the conduct of the 2015 general elections to avoid friction.
Ayo Opadokun, national coordinator of CODER said achieving a universally credible elections demands introduction of modern information communications technology tools for effective administration of electoral process.
CODER and other developmental groups agree that there was urgent need for reforms in the administration of election process in Nigeria.
Michael Miriti, Councillor at the Kenyan High Commisison in Abuja, also noted that though the use of biometrics in the just-concluded Kenyan presidential elections did not guarantee a hitch free polls, it non-the-less contributed to the success of the entire election process.
The diplomat pointed out that electoral reform could not be complete without a complete transformation of the entire electoral institutions and the fine-tuning of the process to match modern standards.
Several other speakers also called for urgency for Nigeria to invest in modern ICT tools to break the cycle of manually operated electoral process which will in turn break the vicious cycle of rigging.
CODER had assembled development experts from sub-Saharan with a view to identifying the use of biometrics as one of the safest measures of ensuring a transparent electoral process in the region.
Kenya, like Nigeria had very turbulent elections in 2007 which led to death of several thousands of its citizens.
It’s last election was universally acclaimed as fair and peaceful.
Nigeria faces a litmus test in 2015 to conduct free and fair elections that would produce acceptable candidates without violence.
The last elections held in 2007 was preceeded by violence and dearth, among them several youth service corp members who had volunteered as election workers