2023: INEC finalising electronic voting process — 50 companies assessed

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has revealed it is finalising the process of acquiring electronic voting devices ahead of the 2023 elections.

Festus Okoye, chairman, INEC information and voter education committee, said over 50 companies were invited by the commission to demonstrate their various e-voting machine solutions.

In September, the commission carried out a test run of the anticipated electronic voting system in Nigeria.

Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, later told a house of representatives committee that the commission was “determined” to deploy e-voting machines in elections, “possibly beginning with the Anambra governorship election in 2021.”

In an interview with PUNCH, Okoye said the commission will soon shortlist successful companies that would supply the e-voting machines.

He also said some of the electronic devices it is seeking to procure will be deployed for the continuous voter registration that will commence this year.

“The commission is committed to deepening the use of technology in the electoral process and the commission is committed to the introduction of electronic voting machines in Nigeria,” he was quoted as saying.

“The commission is presently engaged in the procurement of INEC voter enrolment devices (IVED) for the planned voter register update processes. These devices will be used to enrol Nigerians that have attained the age of 18 years, clean up the voters register and acquire additional biometric that will be in consonance with the use of electronic voting machines.

“The commission invited over 50 companies engaged in hard and software production to demonstrate the different brands and versions of their electronic voting machines. The companies demonstrated the different electronic voting machine solutions available.

“Some of the companies demonstrated the solutions virtually. The commission is analysing all the demonstrated systems for purposes of choosing the ones that are in tandem with our ecosystem, is rugged, simple to use and easily maintained.”

The INEC commissioner also said said the electoral umpire is looking forward to the amendment of the electoral act to enable e-voting, adding: “The encumbrance of the deployment of full technology in elections should be removed.”