It’s been over one month since the Senate passed a bill amending the Electoral Act of 2010 to incorporate the use of smart card readers in the 2019 elections and beyond.

In getting electronic voting to work in the Nigerian electoral system, Senate President Bukola Saraki received a delegation from Safran Identity & Security, a company that prides itself as a global leader in security, biometrics and identity solutions.

Saraki told the delegation that a great deal of progress was made during the 2015 elections when the electronic card reader was introduced and the senate is committed to improving on that, hence the passage of the bill. When assented to, the provisions of the amendment will ensure that rigging, irregularities and other malpractices will be eliminated.

He admitted that the major constraint for elections in Nigeria is the transmission of results but added that “we will begin to have an election process that can compete with what obtains in any other part of the world” if the electronic transmission issue is sorted.

Senator Saraki also said, “We want a situation that as soon as results are announced at polling units, we should be able to receive them across board. I think when we are able to do that, the challenge associated with physical result transmission would be a thing of the past“.

He urged Safran IS to collaborate with the electoral body, INEC in kickstarting the process once the bill is assented to.

Tolu

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