Governance professionals canvass electronic voting for Edo elections

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN), has called on government to urgently implement electronic voting for the upcoming Edo State elections.
 
The group said this would reduce the incidence of vote buying, insecurity and unnecessary spread of the virus.
 
President and Chairman of Council, ICSAN, Bode Ayeku, at a media parley recently, said COVID-19 should be a turning point for Nigeria to implement electronic voting, beginning with the Edo State elections.
 
Ayeku, who said this is an antidote to voter apathy, noted that it would help the country and should not be resisted, saying: “This is the time for the National Assembly, Presidency and political stakeholders to work together, re-gig the Electoral Act with the law allowing electronic voting; and issues that arise will be tackled in subsequent elections.”
 
He noted that COVID-19 has made it inevitable for citizens to have the ‘new normal’, adding that when it comes to litigation, it would be very easy to track digital interactions, and also bring safety measures. 
 
He said: “Electronic voting should be in place starting from Edo State elections in September. We cannot say we are in the ‘new normal’ and the voting system is still in line with old system of administration.”