Politics
Online Voting, A Project We Are Working On – INEC discloses
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is already working on a project to allow the electorate to cast their votes online and decongest crowds at polling stations across the country, the commission disclosed.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, disclosed this on Thursday.
Though, he did not give a specific timeframe as to when online voting would be implemented when he made the disclosure on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
“Going forward, this commission is determined to improve on its use of technology in the electoral process … we have gone very far in terms of our resolve to introduce electronic voting machines in the electoral process.
“People voting online or using the internet to vote is a project that the commission is working on and at the appropriate time, the commission will unveil what it is doing.
“But the immediate task we have now, our immediate responsibility is to introduce the use of electronic voting machines in the electoral process and we are confident that in the next few months, the National Assembly and the Presidency will finish work on the legal framework”, the INEC official said.
Okoye added that the electoral umpire has to a large extent tapped into the use of technology in the electoral process.
According to him, one of the other things INEC intends to do relating to the continuous voters’ registration is to create an online portal where eligible persons who do not suffer any legal liability or disability can register online to decongest the registration centres.
The INEC national commissioner decried the recent attacks on the commission’s offices in parts of the country, especially in the southern region.
He noted that the commission has been taken proactive steps to prevent a reoccurrence of such ugly incidents.
In terms of security, Okoye disclosed that INEC has met with the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security for advice and information in order to protect its assets more professionally and appropriately.
“We have also liaise with them and called for more and better coordination among the security agencies in terms of sharing information and in terms of making information available to the commission anytime they are in possession of any information that will be critical in terms of protecting our infrastructure and other assets”.
Adewole Adebayo, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), has declared his willingness to step aside in the 2027 elections if a stronger candidate emerges to lead the party.
Adebayo made this statement on Sunday during an appearance on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-political programme aired on Channels Television, monitored by Mega Icon Magazine.
“Everybody knows that I have an aspiration. I’m working on it, but God is the author of tomorrow; we don’t even know who is going to be around in 2027,” he said.
The lawyer and politician emphasised that his ambition would not stand in the way of a more capable leader who could address Nigeria’s challenges.
“It is my prayer to God that if there is a person who God thinks is better than me to fix the problem of Nigeria, my ambition should not stop that person because we want a country that works. That is the kind of thing we are working on at this time,” he added.
Adebayo assured Nigerians that the SDP would present a candidate worthy of national support, capable of unseating President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the next election.
He further stressed that the SDP would avoid divisive politics based on religion and ethnicity.
“What used to be an easy discussion – with religion and ethnicity – has become explosive now. So, we will not use the SDP forum to try to bifurcate our people into different zones,” he noted.
According to him, the party aims to produce a candidate whose emergence will be met with widespread approval.
“When we make a choice in the SDP, there will be resounding joy outside the SDP, and Nigerians will say: ‘Okay, finally, this platform has given the country a chance’,” Adebayo said.
The lawmaker representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency, Engr Aderemi Oseni, has congratulated the Oyo State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Moshood Olayide-Abas on his appointment as the Board Chairman of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Kaduna, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Oseni, who also serves as the Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), described Olajide’s appointment as a recognition of his dedication to the party and his contributions to its growth in Oyo State.
In a statement issued on Saturday by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, the lawmaker commended President Tinubu for considering competent and loyal party members for key federal appointments.
“I extend my heartfelt congratulations to our leader, Prince Abas Olajide on this well-deserved appointment. His leadership and commitment to the APC in Oyo State have been exemplary. I have no doubt that he will bring the same level of dedication to this new role,” Oseni stated.
He also congratulated other notable figures from Oyo State who were appointed to federal boards, urging them to justify the confidence reposed in them by delivering on their mandates.
“This is not just an opportunity but a call to service. I encourage all appointees to work diligently in support of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda,” he added.
Oseni expressed optimism that these appointments would further strengthen governance at the national level and reinforce the APC’s political structure in Oyo State.
Less than a month after former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai left the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the party’s North-West leadership has denied that he is a registered member.
In a statement issued in Kaduna, the North-West Assistant Secretary of the SDP, Idris Inuwa, asserted that neither the ward nor the state chapter of the party has any record of El-Rufai’s membership.
“It has come to our notice that certain individuals, including Nasir El-Rufai, are being rumoured to have joined the SDP. However, neither the chairman of Kaduna North Local Government in Kaduna State nor the leadership of Unguwar Sarki ward has any record of these memberships,” he stated.
Inuwa, therefore, urged El-Rufai and other prospective members to follow the proper membership process if they wish to officially join the SDP.
“We advise him and any other interested individuals to adhere to the established procedures for membership registration,” he added.
Furthermore, the North-West Zonal Assistant Secretary rejected the dissolution of the Kaduna State working committee of the SDP by the party’s National Working Committee.
“While we recognise the growing interest of individuals and groups in joining the SDP, we emphasise that there are well-defined guidelines and constitutional provisions governing membership admission. The Kaduna State chapter of SDP remains open to all prospective members who comply with the established procedures,” Inuwa stated.
It will be recalled that El-Rufai resigned his membership of the APC and defected to the SDP on 10 March 2025.
In his resignation statement, El-Rufai cited concerns over what he described as the “capricious trajectory” of the ruling party, which he alleged the leadership had failed to address.
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