Why we avoided electronic voting — INEC

Dazang

The Head of Publicity Division of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mr. Nick Dazang, in this interview with LEKE BAIYEWU, speaks on the conduct of the Ekiti State governorship election and other electoral matters in the country

 What has the INEC done to ensure the Ekiti governorship election was successful?

We deployed more than 8,000 staff – permanent and ad hoc – to conduct the election. We also deployed six national commissioners. Similarly, we deployed six Resident Electoral Commissioners. We trained the ad hoc and permanent staff. In the instance of Ekiti, before we used to do it (training) for only two days; we added another day, making it three days to enhance their capacity and proficiency. The sensitive materials were distributed on Wednesday in the presence of the political parties. The non-sensitive ones had been distributed before then – more than one month to the election. The sensitive materials are the ballot papers, ballot boxes and the result sheets; they are sensitive materials. Normally, we distribute them at the last minute. The commission deliberately customised all the result sheets according to polling units such that you cannot take a result sheet from one polling unit to the other. We also customised the ballot boxes and embossed serial numbers on them. One cannot take a ballot box from one polling unit and use it in another polling unit. Even if one is to snatch a ballot box and stuff it, it would be rejected and not be taken in accounted. If someone attempts to do that, he’d have wasted his time.

In addition to some of these measures, we also warned our staff to provide a level playing field for all contestants and anyone who is apprehended doing something untoward or in breach of the laws governing the election would be sanctioned. Also, on Wednesday, we met with stakeholders of the process; leaders of the political parties, contestants, the media and members of the civil society. We discussed with them on how to conduct the election. They were satisfied with the explanations we made and the clarifications we also gave.

What about security?

On the side of the security agencies, at least two policemen were deployed to secure each polling unit. The Police would at least deploy 126, 000 policemen. Their role is to make sure that they patrol and secure the environment. There is also the helicopter unit that reinforces the patrol on the ground from the air. Even as people go to vote, they would ensure that their properties are secured, while nobody would be harassed or molested. Security agents have been told to be firm in their job but be polite to the citizens. We are also urged the citizens to come out in large numbers. The large number of security agents in the state was not to harass them (the electorate) or intimidate them but secure the process in such a way that they should feel free to come out.

But people still believe that the huge presence of security men during elections can lead to voter apathy.

That is why we went out of our way to explain to them (Ekiti people) that the presence of security men was not to harass them; it was not to intimidate them but to secure the environment. Before the election, there had been series of violence. If these measures were not put in place, it is likely that they would escalate. What we try to do is that if you leave your house to go and vote, the security agents are there to secure your house and your passage to the polling unit and back to your house. They are also out there to protect the INEC staff that would conduct the election, the materials being used, the voters themselves and the people in Ekiti State. They are not an occupying army. They are here to secure the place; to make sure there is peace before, during and after the election.

Considering the long processes in conducting an election, why has the commission not adopted electronic system that will cut cost and time?

By law, we are not supposed to use electronic voting machine. We also have canvassed for it but so far, the law does not permit the commission to use electronic voting machines. Until the law is amended, we cannot do so. You know that everything INEC does is governed by law. Even though we are keen on using electronic voting machines, we cannot use them unless we are permitted by law. Once we are, we would deploy it and improve the process. Most of our operations are technology driven. In the process of registration (of voters), we use computers. We have issued permanent voter cards, which would be used in the 2015 general elections.

Is the Federal Government funding the INEC enough to conduct free and fair elections?

For now, in terms of funding, the commission is all right in the sense that in the 2011 general elections, what the commission asked for was given to it. We are now on the first-line charge of the Consolidated Federal Revenue Fund. As soon as money is appropriated for the commission by the national assembly, we immediately access it. We don’t have to go through any third party. The money would now be deposited with the Central Bank of Nigeria, where we will access it. We have done budgets that would take care of this year and next year. For now, I don’t think the commission is having challenges in terms of support from the executive and the legislature; we have enjoyed good relationship with them. We are confident that any time we make requests, the executive and the legislature will look at them on their merits and accede to the requests.

There is a belief that the INEC cannot adequately monitor the activities of the ad hoc staff it engages during elections, which may be a cause of irregularities.

INEC does not have more than 15,000 staff on its payroll and if you want to conduct an election nationally, you need not less than 450,000 staff to conduct such an election. If you consider that we have 120,000 polling units as of now and each of the units will need at least three staff to man them, then the mathematics is very clear that you need not less than 450,000 staff. We cannot put in place such a very big staff because we will not be able to pay them in the long run; that is why we have turned to ad hoc staff.

So far, we have enjoyed a very good working relationship with the National Youth Service Corps, from where we draw most of our ad hoc staff. These (corps members) are young people who have just graduated from the universities. They are idealistic; they are patriotic and given their education with minimal training, they can be put through within a short period of time to conduct the elections.

What efforts is the electoral body putting in place to be able to conduct elections in volatile parts of the country, using ad hoc staff?

We have always planned to conduct elections in all parts of Nigeria and we will not do so in isolation from the security agencies. They are the experts; they are the ones that will advise the commission on how to deploy staff and how to secure them. When we reach that point where some areas are still volatile, the commission will take decision based on expert advice from security agencies and how it will protect the staff deployed in the volatile areas. We are optimistic that before then, we should be able to overcome some of these challenges or reduce them substantially to allow us to conduct elections in these areas. Just few weeks ago, we did a by-election in Yobe State and it took place peacefully. We are also looking at the situation but we will always, in connection with the security agencies secure our staff, the ad hoc staff and ensure that nobody is put in harm’s way. We have learnt lessons from the previous elections and the security agencies will be commissioned to device ways of protecting these ad hoc staff.

How true are the reports that political parties usually mobilise their members to work as ad hoc staff during elections in other to manipulate the system?

That was in the past. Politicians, in the process of recruitment, will go out of their way to supply the staff. But now, the system has changed. We now recruit from the NYSC directly and we put them through trainings. We test and evaluate them before we send them out. If we feel that any of them doesn’t have the right temperament and that he’s not suitable, we can drop you. It is not as if because we are working with the NYSC and other tertiary institutions, it is a blanket thing.