LETTER TO MR PRESIDENT BY CHIEF (DR) CHEKWAS OKORIE 31st March, 2014 Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan President Federal Republic of Nigeria State House Abuja. Mr President Sir, COMPELLING NEED FOR THE USE OF ELECTRONIC VOTING SYSTEM (EVS) FOR THE 2015 GENERAL ELECTION BY THE INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION (INEC) It is with utmost respect and the highest sense of responsibility and patriotism that we write you this letter on the above subject. It is a common knowledge that the greatest challenge to our democracy in Nigeria is the conduct of credible and acceptable election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The traditional ballot box system has failed repeatedly to meet minimum standard for a credible election. The Nigerian electorate have demonstrated their disappointment and disgust with the system by refusing to participate in electing people into various offices from Local Government up to presidential elections. It is no exaggeration to state that approximately 20% of registered voters in Nigeria actually participate in elections. Twenty per cent participation by any stretch of the imagination does not make for a participatory democracy and cannot result in legitimate mandate. The security situation all over the country especially in the North-East geopolitical zone, has worsened the case of apathy to elections. Even INEC recently alerted the nation on the possibility of not conducting elections in the North-East geopolitical zone if the security situation there fails to improve before the 2015 general election which is about 11 months away. Mr President, our Party has seized every interactive session with the leadership of INEC to impress on them the compelling need for the introduction of the Electronic Voting System for the 2015 general election. The excuse by INEC has consistently been that the present Electoral Act has in Section 52 of the Act specifically restrained it from applying the system. Fortunately, in a recent interview granted to the media by the Deputy President of the Senate Chief Ike Ekweremadu who is also the Chairman of the Joint Committee of the National Assembly on Constitutional Amendment including the amendment of the Electoral Act, he assured Nigerians that the National Assembly will expunge Section 52 of the Electoral Act to enable INEC adopt the Electronic Voting System if the Commission so desires. It is in this regard that we are writing you to intervene and facilitate the adoption of Electronic Voting System for the next general election. We make this appeal to you for the following reasons: 1. The EVS immediately eliminates the use of ballot boxes and ballot papers. In addition to saving cost, the violence that attends every election involving the snatching of ballot boxes and or stuffing of the boxes with ballot papers will be eliminated. 2. Queuing at polling stations for a long time which scares decent and security conscious persons from participating will be eliminated. 3. Excessive deployment of security operatives with its attendant abuses will be greatly reduced. 4. Declaring public holidays on election days with heavy opportunity cost to the economy of the nation will be stopped. 5. Every registered voter shall have the opportunity and liberty to vote for the candidate and party of his or her choice no matter where he may be located in the country with his mobile phone. 6. The fact that INEC already operates electronic voters register containing the bio-data of all eligible voters has made the transition to Electronic Voting System feasible. 7. The few registered voters who do not possess GSM phones or are unable to use it for the purpose of voting may go to polling stations to vote electronically by thumb-printing on the Laptops which are already available to INEC. 8. Registered Voters who have relocated from their original residences as a result of insecurity will not be disenfranchised for as long as they still retain their telephone numbers which they used during registration. 9. The EVS shall guarantee 80 - 90% participation by the electorate and reliable results of elections shall emerge without delay. 10. Countless election petitions and other litigations associated with elections in the country will be greatly reduced. Mr President Sir, the above is not exhaustive of the benefits that will be derived from the use of EVS by INEC. You have demonstrated commendable commitment to the reformation of the electoral system in Nigeria. You have repeatedly said that your victory at any election is not worth the shedding of the blood of any Nigerian. It is as a result of your principled stand on this issue that we are encouraged to write you this letter. As a political party, we are worried at the intemperate language, maligning of leaders, malicious and vicious propaganda being promoted practically on equal terms by the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party leaders and officers. The quality of opposition is at an all time low while the response to criticism has become very emotive and sometimes explosive. Issues are no longer being canvassed instead what fill the media on daily basis are threats, arrogant claims and posturing that create the impression that the two big political parties are not planning for election rather they are planning for War. We in the United Progressive Party (UPP) believe strongly that the adoption of EVS will effectively restore to the Nigerian electorate their constitutionally guaranteed power to elect their representatives and leaders at all levels without let or hindrance. In such situation political party leaders will be compelled to turn their attention to canvassing and propagating issues that will convince the electorate to vote for them during elections. In this way, campaign will be robust, vibrant, engaging and constructive. We look forward to your favourable consideration of this appeal. Please accept the assurances of our highest respect. Sincerely, CHIEF (DR) CHEKWAS OKORIE (OJE-OZI NDIGBO) NATIONAL CHAIRMAN, UPP
Posted on: Fri, 04 Apr 2014 18:18:29 +0000
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