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| Biometric Voting Technology And The Conduct Of Elections: Lessons From The 2015 And 2019 General Elections In Nigeria. |
Charles Arinze Obiora,Ph.D., B.O.G .Nwanolue,Ph.D., Nkechi Vivian Enemoh
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Abstract:
This paper examines the role of biometric voting technology on the conduct of general elections in Nigeria. Qualitative methods of data collection and analysis were adopted for the study while the chaos theory was adopted as the framework of analysis. The study established that the use of biometric voting technology did not contribute to significant reduction in post-election petitions in the 2015 and 2019 general elections in Nigeria. Also, limited or non- verification of voters fingerprints even after authenticating their PVCs and over-voting were rampant. The use of the card readers was evidently problematic, with many malfunctioning and not being able to consistently verify fingerprints resulting in significant disenfranchisement. Over 2.3 million of those that were accredited did not finally cast their ballot. This weakened the integrity of the process. A record of 610 post-election petitions were filed after the 2015 general elections which was less than 16 percent reduction compared to the 731 recorded in the preceding 2011 election. Again, the study established that the malfunctioning of the Smart Card Readers occasioned high increase in inconclusive elections during the 2015 and 2019 general election in Nigeria. Many manual voter identification was undertaken which increased enfranchisement. In many polling units no attempt was made to verify fingerprints. In polling units, card readers were not always able to read PVCs, and in 94% could not always verify fingerprints. This resulted in postponed elections in many House of Representative constituencies. After the 2015 general elections, INEC conducted 2 governorship re-run elections, one council election and over 80 re-run legislative elections across the country. It is therefore recommended that INEC improve on training for regular and adhoc staff on the operation of biometric voting system. The number of judges that attend to postelection petitions should be increased to ensure speedy dispensation of justice. The Federal Government should provide accommodation and transportation logistics for INEC field stall during elections to guarantee timely and effective coverage of the designated polling units
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