Taiwo Popoola
The Senator representing Southern Borno, Ali Ndume has said that the electoral process in Nigeria is deliberately complicated to allow manipulation.
Ndume made this statement on Sunday in an interactive session with newsmen in Kano after attending the Senate retreat on constitutional review.
The former Senate Majority Leader, questioned the need to create a new body solely for conducting elections every four years, arguing that the existing INEC is underutilized and could handle these responsibilities.
He also expressed frustration with the complexity of Nigeria’s electoral process, which he believes is designed to encourage manipulation.
“I support local government autonomy and the idea of INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) conducting local government polls. One issue being discussed in the National Assembly is the creation of a National Local Government Electoral Commission, and I am not in support of it.
“The elections in Nigeria are deliberately complicated to allow for manipulation. Why don’t we make laws that ensure the votes count? Why not enable citizens to elect someone from their phones? Why not allow INEC to monitor elections through technology and create a situation room? Google can tell you your location in real-time, so why can’t we leverage technology for our elections?” he asked.
The lawmaker further stated that the underlying problem with Nigeria’s electoral system is a lack of sincerity, honesty, and fear of God among political leaders.
