Nigeria: PRP presidential candidate Duke demands technology-driven electoral system

Former governor of Cross Rivers state and presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, has called for a technology-driven electoral system that would allow every Nigerian to cast, verify and track a ballot.

He said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has failed to inspire confidence in the country’s elections.

“INEC has failed. It is a monumental failure. There’s no gainsaying about it,” Duke said in an interview in Abuja Wednesday.

He said widespread distrust of election results had discouraged millions of Nigerians from voting because they believed their participation would not influence the outcome.

“The results you get from the polls often don’t reflect the views of the people.

“So there’s disenchantment with the system, both by the contestants and the public. Most people don’t vote because they believe their votes don’t count.

“And in a world where technology is so advanced, it’s a shame that we couldn’t devise a system that makes your votes count,” he said.

Duke added that available technology could ensure that every ballot was counted and independently verified, questioning why Nigeria continues to use an electoral process susceptible to manipulation.

“The system in the world today, the technology that is available, can ensure that each vote is not only counted but verified,” he said.

“Technology exists. People are going to space and all that; we’re still doing this manual thing that can be manipulated. There’s no excuse for it.

“The sincerity of purpose is not there.”

He contrasted the continued reliance on manual elections with the ease with which Nigerians transferred money electronically to people living in distant communities.

“Technology is so advanced. We send money around to our villages, to our relatives in villages, and they get the money. But when it comes to voting, it is not safe anymore. What are we talking about?”

The former governor recalled INEC’s postponement of the 2019 general election only hours before voting was scheduled to begin, describing it as an assault on the resources and integrity of Nigerians