The lawmaker representing Borno South in the Senate, Senator Ali Ndume has said that the electoral process in Nigeria is deliberately complicated to allow manipulation.
He said this on Sunday in Kano State while interacting with newsmen after attending the Senate retreat on constitutional review.
The former Whip of the Senate, questioned the need to create a new body solely for conducting elections every four years, arguing that the existing INEC is underutilized and could barely 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.
Speaking further, Ndume stressed the importance of ensuring that the electoral process is transparent, fair, and free from manipulation in order to truly reflect the will of the people.
He also called for the implementation of electoral reforms that would prioritize the interest of the Nigerian people above personal or political gain.
He urged his colleagues in the National Assembly to prioritize electoral reforms and work towards creating an electoral system that is efficient, credible, and truly democratic.