No obstacle to electronic voting in Nigeria – El-Rufai
KADUNA State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai has said the people of the state have once again shown that there was obstacle to the adoption of electronic voting in Nigeria.
He described the outcome of the just concluded Local Government Council elections in the state, as a demonstration of the All Progressives Congress -led administration’s commitment to credible polls.
He said this in a statewide radio and television broadcast, in Kaduna, late on Tuesday.
The governor commended the people of Kaduna State for “showing for the second time that there is no obstacle to the successful adoption of electronic voting technology in Nigeria.’’
El-Rufai recalled that “voters in Kaduna state first made history on 12th May 2023 when they cast their ballots on electronic voting machines to elect chairmen and councillors for the 23 local government councils in our state.”
He described the successful conduct of the elections as a victory for democracy and a boost for unity.
Specifically, El-Rufai noted that the victory of the APC in Southern Kaduna Senatorial District, was a significant step towards advancing political consensus in the state and overcoming division.
He explained that his administration has “placed the credibility and integrity of the electoral process above the discredited practice of previous governments that sought to win every contested seat by all means.”
El-Rufai noted that the election has placed Kaduna State as the first in Nigeria to use electronic voting, the first sub-national in Africa to do so and has also positioned Nigeria as only the second country in Africa after Namibia to use the technology.
He said “The local government elections of 4th September 2023 further validate the Kaduna State Government’s decision to invest in Electronic Voting Machines to promote electoral integrity and transparency.
“Kaduna state is proudly upholding a new chapter in elections in Nigeria, using electronic voting technology, championed by a government that is determined to respect the outcome, win or lose.”