Technology almost derailed the conclusion of the 2023 presidential elections in Nigeria. The Independent National Electoral Commission couldn’t fulfill its promise to transmit election outcomes from the polling models on its consequence viewing portal (IReV). This led to calls by some political events for cancelation and fresh elections. The Conversation Africa requested political scientist Abiodun Fatai how Nigeria can enhance its election digitization.

Nigeria has been digitizing the voting course of for 12 years. How has this labored?

Nigeria began utilizing digital technology within the electoral process in 2011 when the Independent National Electoral Commission launched the automated fingerprint identification system to cease voters registering greater than as soon as.

The everlasting voter‘s card and good card reader have been launched within the 2015 basic elections. At the polling station, a voter’s identification is verified by matching his or her biometrics to the voter’s card. The voter is then allowed to vote and the votes are counted manually.

In 2022, it launched the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, which is an digital system designed to learn everlasting voter playing cards and authenticate voters—utilizing the voters’ fingerprints—to show that they’re eligible to vote at a selected polling unit. This was used within the Ekiti and Osun states’ governorship elections in June 2022 and July 2022. The know-how labored to its design in each states and was the idea for an election tribunal sacking the Osun State winner in January 2023.

The fee additionally introduced the result viewing portal, IReV, to ensure clear accreditation and importing of polling unit outcomes. It mentioned this could allow residents to view ends in real-time on election day. But the outcomes couldn’t be uploaded onto the portal due to technical glitches. This precipitated some party agents to walk out of the collation middle in Abuja.

Did digital applied sciences assist cut back fraud and promote the credibility of the elections?

It did to a big extent. It has been a protracted journey since 2011 and we’re making enhancements. The biometric know-how really labored. It has eradicated a number of voter registrations. If your biometrics usually are not captured, you possibly can not vote. These are enhancements. Look on the figures from the states—we didn’t see the large figures of voters that have been out of proportion to the variety of registered voters, as occurred in earlier elections. The 2007 presidential election was so dangerous that even the winner, Umaru Musa Yar’Ádua, acknowledged this and arrange a panel to reform elections. But the report of the committee, chaired by a former chief justice, Mohammed Uwais, did not see the light of day after Yar’Adua died.

The logistics may nonetheless be improved however a number of the glitches we noticed within the 2023 elections can’t be attributed to know-how. They have been operational points. Some of the biometric machines malfunctioned or electoral officers did not know use them.

More importantly, the objective of know-how was to boost the standard and integrity of the elections and cut back electoral fraud. This was achieved.

What are the restrictions to digitization?

Technology is operated by people and so no matter is put in place can at all times be defeated by unscrupulous folks. Technology doesn’t function in a vacuum. It is clear that Nigeria does not have sufficient capability to deploy know-how absolutely.

Nigeria has weak broadband internet, and connectivity is patchy. Some components of Nigeria are still running on 3G networks when some international locations are already on 5G. Some components of Nigeria usually are not even connected to the internet.

So, conducting elections in Nigeria by deploying know-how is a fancy train. This was a motive for the fee not with the ability to transmit ends in actual time.

Digital elections usually are not low-cost both as know-how infrastructure prices quite a bit. Then there was the problem of inadequate preparation, evident within the late arrival of materials in some voting stations and insufficient coaching of advert hoc employees in working the biometric machines. All these should have limiting results on the elections.

What ought to Nigeria do to enhance digitization of its elections?

The electoral fee should observe the electoral regulation strictly, particularly on the transmission of ends in actual time. This will improve the credibility of our elections. The outcomes should even be machine readable, with a transparent picture, and should be generated from the polling models.

The fee employees should be effectively skilled in working the machines for elections. Some of them do not have the capability and abilities wanted to perform in a digital surroundings. This should change.

Nigeria should additionally improve its broadband networks to enhance connectivity. Without these two, the nation cannot get pleasure from the advantages of digital elections. There should be forensic screening of employees employed for election duties in order that they don’t seem to be simply compromised. Their integrity and character should be ascertained.

The nation additionally wants extra technical experts to work with the electoral fee than has been the case to date. It is clear that the fee lacks sufficient competent fingers to cope with rising technical points throughout the election.

Lastly, Nigerian politicians should enable full digitization of elections. They should embrace and assist it.