NAN-The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said on Sunday in Abuja that it would soon start issuing permanent voters’ cards.
Prof. Attahiru Jega, INEC Chairman, gave the assurance when he fielded questions at an interview session of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He said distribution of the proposed voters’ cards would begin before the end of 2012.
He added that the objective was to improve the credibility and transparency of the electoral process in the country and that the proposed card was geared toward improving the use of technology in elections.
“As you know we did biometric data registration; before the end of this year, we will start issuing the permanent voters’ cards and these permanent voters’ cards that we are going to issue are chip-based, just like many of our own bank cards.
“So they carry all the information on a microchip which is embedded in the card of the voter.
“So what we believe we can achieve at the minimum by 2015, is that we can achieve 100 per cent authentication at the polling units.’’
“If a voter comes to the polling unit and brings out his or her card, we will be able to determine 100 per cent whether he is the legitimate holder of the card.
“So the issues of people using other people’s cards to go and vote; the issues of stealing cards or even buying cards will be squarely dealt with and that, we believe we can achieve, God willing by 2015.
“We already have all the data in our database; we are now going to issue the permanent voter cards; all we need to do now between now and 2015 is to buy what I call card readers in which we will store all the information,’’ Jega said.
The INEC Chairman explained further that card readers would be available in all the polling units to ascertain the legitimacy of the holder.
Jega also said that the process of identifying valid owners of the card would go a long way in terms of improving the credibility and the transparency of the electoral process.
On the proposed electronic voting in 2015, and its feasibility, he said: “technically, there is no proposal by INEC that it should be adopted in 2015.’’
He said INEC instead made a recommendation to the National Assembly that the provision of the Constitution which prohibited electronic voting should be removed due to its limitation.
“Right now, if we are to introduce electronic voting in this country, we have to do a lot of piloting.
“We have to do a lot of sampling of existing machines right now, because of that prohibition, we can’t even attempt do it.’’
He said, however, that INEC would explore the possibility of electronic voting if the said provision was deleted from the Constitution.
“Now if that is done in good time, and we are able to explore the possibility and it seems feasible, then obviously at that time we will tell Nigerians that it is feasible, and then maybe we should try it.
“But right now, we haven’t gotten to that stage; right now what we want is the removal of a major hindrance for INEC to even begin to explore the possibility of electronic voting.
“But what INEC is trying to do and then we are really again improving the use of technology in elections is that as you know we did biometric data registration.’’