INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION AND USE OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES IN THE CONDUCT OF ELECTION IN NIGERIA: A FOCUS ON THE 2020 GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION IN EDO STATE

CHAPTER ONE

Background to the Study

The recently passed 2021 Electoral Bill in both Chambers of the National Assembly generated a lot of controversies, especially as it relates to the exclusion of the use of electronic transmission of electoral results. This development is adduced to the Nigerian political trajectory which could be traced to the failure to conduct free, fair and credible elections from 1964, resulting in the crisis that has continued to trail the Nigerian electoral process. The quest for “one man, one vote”, a credible election that is devoid of rigging, manipulation of results have culminated in a growing agitation for the introduction and use of electronic devices in the conduct of elections in Nigeria. Although experts have argued that the introduction and use of electronic devices in Nigeria electoral processes is not an end in itself when compared to countries like Brazil and India, where electronic devices and internet penetration is relatively higher, some political observers insist on the prospect of electronic devices in the electoral process and its many benefits to electoral integrity. The call for the use electronic devices in elections as an ongoing reforms advocacy. By the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in addressing the problematic challenges of trust, is germane in deepening democracy in order to protecting the integrity and credibility of the electoral process in Nigeria.

It is an indisputable fact that credible elections are indeed the cornerstone of an ideal democracy but conducting free and fair elections is a very difficult task. In a diverse country like Nigeria, the hard-to-reach logistics issues in terms of materials and manpower involved in the entire process is very complex and challenging to manage. Thus, elections managers need to provide a level playing field to all the players in the game. The entire electoral process should be enhanced with electronic device that create efficiency.

Conducting elections remains a recurring problem of Nigeria electoral process. The credibility and general acceptability of any election outcomes and the legitimacy of the elected government are a function of the transparency, freeness and fairness of the electoral process. The 2007 general elections, for example, appeared to be the most critical in the nation`s efforts to consolidate and sustain the growing democracy. The challenges of conducting credible elections have stimulated keen interest, because of its role in determining the future of democracy in Nigeria. An attitude of distrust about the achievability of a successful transition are created by the prevailing difficulties confronting the transition process in terms of growing political violence, manipulations of election results etc. The overwhelming challenges confronting INEC in its attempts to conduct credible elections with popularly acceptable outcome. That is devoid of the traditional controversies and crises associated with previous transitional elections, is the major reason for the call for the deployment of electronic devices. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has employed a number of innovative approaches aimed at improving the conduct of elections in the country.

As years pass by, INEC gets more sophisticated with its technologies in order to meet up with international standard. In this study the researcher examines the impact of these electronic devices and the effects they have on election activities in Edo State election. Following the introduction of these devices: Electronic Voters Register (EVR), Automatic Fingerprints Identification System (AFIS) and Smart Card Reader (SCR) have reduced the incidence of multiple registration and multiple voting to the barest minimum while the development of e-collation, INEC Result Viewing (IRV) support platform has drastically reduced incidence of result manipulation at collation centres. Hence, it is believed that the incorporation of electronic devices in the 2020 Edo State Governorship election, has reduced excessive electoral fraud to the barest minimum and it fostered credible election. (Ayeni et al 2018)

The 2020 Edo State gubernatorial election took place on September 19, 2020. The incumbent Governor, Godwin Obaseki had defected from the All-Progressives Congress (APC) to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and won re-election for a second term, defeating in the process, Osagie Ize-Iyamu who had himself earlier defected from the PDP to APC and lost with several minor party candidates. Obaseki received 57.3% of the votes. (Yiaga Africa 2020). Godwin Obaseki had emerged unopposed in the PDP gubernatorial primary after all the aspirants stepped down for him. While Philip Shaibu remained as his running mate. Osagie Ize-Iyamu was the APC candidate with Audi Ganiyu as his running mate. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) featured Mabel Oboh as candidate. Aboi Lucky Emmanuel stood for ADP in the polls and Osifo Uhun-Ekpenma Isaiah represented the Labour Party (LP). In the election, fourteen (14) candidates contested out of which 12 were male, while 2 were female and two of the deputy governorship candidates were female. With new innovations that INEC introduced in 2020 Edo state Governorship election it overcame the challenge of delay in the final collation of results through the use of electronic collation. It saved collation officers the risk of travelling all night to get results submitted for final collation. It also saved INEC some costs. This research seeks to examine the use of electronic devices in the conduct of the 2020 Governorship Election in Edo State. The work is limited to considerations that applies to the use of electronic devices in the conduct of Elections. While the reliability and sustainability ability is the gap this research seeks to fill.

​​​​​​​Statement of the Problem

Elections have different stages and strategies in place to facilitate the smooth conduct at every stage of the electoral cycles. The application of human skills, less skill staff, all other human errors and manipulations has generated the desire for effectiveness and efficiency in the electoral process. In Nigeria, as conducting credible elections have been one of the main problems of the democratic process (Omotola, 2010).

The institutional inability to conduct elections that meets the desired outcomes of the greater percentage of citizens, and the cumulative controversies that follow most election stimulated various concerns from stakeholders. Thus, agitations for the introduction of electronic devises were aimed at reducing or eliminating those problematic areas of the democratic phase.

The use of electronic devices in the political processes is the effect or benefits derivable from the deployment of, “ all such devices, such as Computer hardware and software programmes, digital tools, Electronic apparatus as printers, scanners, bar code readers, Communications technologies like mobile phones and SMS applications; e-voting systems including specialized machines; the internet, the internet applications; sensors that are capable of enrolling biometric data of Citizens that are assigned or deployed for managing Elections, political party, voting during the election, participating in the electoral campaign, community affairs and other political activities”(EU- UNDP, 2017) “However, there are various phases in the electoral cycle where “some form of new devices can be used. Countries around the Globe, including some new democracies, deploy some forms of electronic voter registration machines, data capturing and identification devices, for the use of biometrics data of Citizens”. (Yinyeh and Gbolagade 2013). Because of the above, there is no reservation as to whether INEC and political experts have made obvious reforms in recent times, hence the focus of this study is on the 2020 Governorship Election in Edo State. The 2020 Governorship Election in Edo State became a reference point with the use of new electronic devices in the conduct of election in Nigeria. It is against this backdrop that the problem this study seeks to answer is what is the reliability and its sustainability of electronic devices in the conduct election in Nigeria?

​​​​​​​Research Questions

The question raised to direct course of study are:

1. Do electronic devices play a role in contemporary conduct of elections?

2. Will the use of electronic devices instilled citizen’s confidence in the electoral process in Edo State?

3. Are there challenges and prospects of electronic devices in the conduct of elections?

4. Has electronic devices consolidated Nigeria’s democracy in the Fourth Republic?

​​​​​​​Research Objectives

The objective of this research study is to examine INEC and use of electronic devices in the conduct of election in Nigeria: a focus on the 2020 governorship election in Edo State.

Academically, it intends to

1. To scrutinize the reliability of electronic devices in the conduct of Elections.

2. To chronicle the electronic devices deployed in the conduct of the 2020 Governorship Election in Edo State.

3. To evaluate the roles and challenges of electronic devices in the conduct of elections.

4. To contribute to the extant literature on the conduct of elections in Nigeria.

5. Proffer strategies for public private financing of electronic devices for conduct of elections in Nigeria.