EFFECTIVENESS OF CARD READER IN REDUCING ELECTORAL MALPRACTICE IN NIGERIA
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EFFECTIVENESS OF CARD READER IN REDUCING ELECTORAL MALPRACTICE IN NIGERIA
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the efficiency of card readers in minimising electoral misconduct in Nigeria. A study of the 2019 presidential election. The study’s entire population is 200 INEC staff from Akwa Ibom state. The researcher collected data using questionnaires as the instrument.
This study used a descriptive survey research approach. The survey included 133 respondents who worked as presiding officers, election officers, administrative personnel, and junior staff. The acquired data was organised into tables and analysed using simple percentages and frequencies.
chapter One
Introduction
Background of The study
The electoral process is, without a doubt, an institutionalised system for the selection of political office holders by qualified adults in a society. As a result, the electioneering process exists to give voters the opportunity and right to choose their representatives and maintain contact with them.
As a result, for an electoral system to be democratic, it must provide the public with the ability to make real and meaningful choices free of pressure or intimidation (Eminue, 2005).
Nigeria’s political past has been marred by gruesome tales of electoral misconduct, a feat that has harmed the country’s polity. As a result, competent electoral process management has become a critical political demand in order to preserve the sanctity,
transparency, and credibility of election results in the nation’s democratic environment, particularly since the establishment of the Fourth Republic (Akinboye, 2005).
In the Fourth Republic, the Electoral Management Body-Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is the entity in responsible of ensuring a transparent, unbiased, and participatory electoral process (Larry, 2015). However, since 1999, elections in the country have been everything but transparent.
This evaluation is based on information from both domestic and international election observers (Larry, 2015). For example, electoral observers found the 2003 general elections to be fraught with high levels of fraud, ranging from vote buying to harassment of electorates by security officers and political thugs sympathetic to the ruling party (Akinboye, 2005).
According to the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), presidential and gubernatorial elections in several states fell short of international and regional standards and did not represent Nigerian voting patterns (TMG, 2003). Their views and comments, however,
did not prevent President Olusegun Obasanjo from being sworn in for a second term, raising concerns about INEC’s impartiality and transparency (Larry, 2015). Though the 2003 elections were denounced for failing to meet international standards, the 2007 elections were labelled as the worst in Nigerian history (Larry, 2015). Human Rights Watch states:
Even when compared to the low benchmark set by the 2003 election, the polls represented a severe step down. Electoral officials, as well as government institutions responsible with maintaining the integrity of the polls, have been accused of turning the elections into a violent and fraudulent farce (Human Rights Watch, 2007).
After admitting that the elections that brought him to power were flawed, the Umar Musa Yar’Adua administration established an Electoral Reform Committee (ERC) on August 28, 2007 to investigate the electoral process and make recommendations for reform.
The 22-member committee, led by retired Justice Mohammed Uwais, issued a number of suggestions aimed at ensuring free, fair, and credible elections that adhere to international norms. Among these recommendations are the establishment of electoral tribunals to deal with electoral offences; constituency delimitation;
proportional representation in elections to Federal and State legislatures and local government councils; and the removal of the President’s power to appoint the INEC chairman and vesting it in the judiciary (Kwagha and Tarfa, 2015).
Election fraud has been one of the most serious threats to the Nigerian electoral process. Electoral fraud, which includes election manipulation and vote rigging, is an illegal intervention with the election process to favour a certain party or candidate, or both (Alvarez, Michael; Hall, Thad; Hyde, Susan, 2008).
The result is invariably a negative impact on the country’s democratic institutions and a loss of voter confidence. In an effort to reduce electoral fraud, the Independent Electoral Commission implemented the use of card readers.
During the election, the card reader is used to validate the voter’s card before enabling the voter to vote. This is to prevent impersonation and double voting, which were formerly used as rigging strategies in elections.
This procedure substitutes the manual method of paper work, which is easily manipulated and prone to error. This development was thought to facilitate free and fair elections in Nigeria, but recent developments involving the non-functionality
of many card readers in some parts of the country during election processes call into question the credibility and ability of these card readers to achieve the purpose for which they were introduced.
If the Nigerian election process is ready for the use of this technology, this presents another obstacle. With a case study of the 2019 presidential election, the study aims to assess the effectiveness of card readers in decreasing electoral misconduct in Nigeria.
Statement of the Problem
Electoral fraud is the illegal intervention with the election process in order to favour a certain party or candidate, or both, through vote rigging and election manipulation. The result is invariably a negative impact on the country’s democratic institutions and a loss of voter confidence.
As a result, the real reason for the introduction of card readers into the Nigerian electoral process was to eliminate electoral malpractices; however, recent developments involving the non-functionality of card readers in many parts of the country raise serious concerns about the device’s credibility and capacity to achieve the intended purpose.
Aim of the study
The study’s aims are as follows:
To learn about the many types of card readers and their purposes.
To assess the efficiency of card readers in minimising voting fraud in Nigeria.
To assess the efficiency of card readers in reducing electoral fraud during the 2019 presidential elections.
research Hypotheses
The researcher developed the following research hypotheses in order to successfully complete the study:
H0: card readers have no nature or functions.
H1: card readers have a nature and functions.
H02: Card readers have little effect on reducing electoral fraud in the 2019 presidential elections.
H2: Card readers are effective in minimising electoral fraud in the 2019 presidential elections.
The significance of the research
This study will contribute to the body of existing knowledge and literature on the role of smart card readers during elections in Nigeria, as well as educate the general public on the benefits
and major challenges of the Smart Card Reader and other electoral technological innovations to improve the credibility of elections aimed at consolidating democracy in Nigeria.
With a case study of the 2019 presidential election, the study will provide important information on the efficiency of card readers in decreasing electoral malpractice in Nigeria.
It will be valuable to policymakers and political analysts.
The scope and limitations of the study
The study’s focus includes the usefulness of card readers in preventing electoral misconduct in Nigeria. A study of the 2019 general election
The researcher comes upon a constraint that limits the scope of the investigation;
a) RESEARCH MATERIAL AVAILABILITY: The researcher’s research material is insufficient, restricting the scope of the investigation.
b) TIME: The study’s time frame does not allow for broader coverage because the researcher must balance other academic activities and examinations with the study.
Financial constraint- A lack of funds tends to restrict the researcher’s efficiency in locating relevant materials, literature, or information, as well as in the data collection procedure (internet, questionnaire, and interview).
DEFINITION OF TERMS
DEFINITION OF ELECTORAL FRAUD
Electoral fraud, which includes election manipulation and vote rigging, is an illegal interference with the election process to favour a certain party or candidate, or both.
DEFINITION OF BALLOT STUFFING
The submitting of several ballots during the voting process.
VOTE MISRECORDING
The recording of voters’ votes that differs from their intentions.
VOTE PURCHASE
This entails buying votes from voters in an upcoming election.
DEFINITION OF VOTER INTIMIDATION
The pressure exerted on a voter or a group of voters to vote in a specific direction.
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