Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has alleged that the majority of Nigeria’s federal lawmakers would lose their seats if elections were conducted in a truly transparent manner.
Sowore made the claim while reacting to the National Assembly’s decision to retain manual collation of election results in areas with poor internet connectivity, a provision critics argue could undermine electoral transparency.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, the African Action Congress (AAC) chieftain said lawmakers are unwilling to implement reforms that would guarantee credible elections because such changes could jeopardize their political careers.
According to him, the justification that poor network coverage necessitates manual collation is merely an excuse.
“This excuse that there is no network in some states is just another balloon air on the part of these guys. They don’t want transparent elections because if elections are transparent, 90 per cent of them will not make it to the National Assembly — and of course the presidency and other elected positions, they know that,” Sowore said.
He described the Senate’s decision as “clever by half,” alleging that the provision was intentionally included to allow a return to what he termed the “hardcoded way of reporting elections,” which he believes has weakened public confidence in the electoral system.
Sowore also criticised the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) IREV portal, calling it outdated and insufficient for ensuring full transparency.
Advocating for reforms, he urged Nigeria to adopt electronic voting similar to India’s system. He noted that India, with over 900 million registered voters, conducts elections using electronic voting machines with minimal disputes.
“By now, we should be doing what they are doing in India. India has 900 million registered voters and they use electronic voting as their own way of expressing the wishes of the people and those are almost foolproof,” he said.
He added that with Nigeria having about 90 million registered voters, transitioning to electronic voting should be achievable.
Sowore further questioned why Nigerians are unable to vote electronically from home despite routinely carrying out other sensitive financial and confidential transactions online.
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