8 - The Role of ICT in Curtailing Electoral Fraud and Violence in Nigeria: A Study of the 2019 General Election in Lagos State
Corresponding Author(s) : Ifeanyi .U. Chukwuma
Africa Development,
Vol. 47 No. 2 (2022): Africa Development: Special Issue on Digital Technologies and Election Management in Africa’s Democratisation Process
Abstract
Elections can be described as the hallmark of democracy and integral for a democratic society to remain stable. However, electoral process in Nigeria has been marred with fraud and violence. Electoral violence and fraud remain a major threat to the stability of democracy in Nigeria. To reduce the occurrence of violence and fraud, INEC introduced the Smart Card Reader (SCR) which was used to verify the authenticity of the Permanent Voters Card (PVC). The use of ICT during the 2019 elections limited the extent to which political actors can intimidate or harass INEC officials to commit electoral fraud, it also reduced the number of electoral petitions and in Lagos State, there was a reduction in violence experienced during the elections.
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- Alvarez, R. M., Hall, T. E., and Hyde, S. D., 2009, Election Fraud: Detecting and Deterring
- Electoral Manipulation, Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press. Animashaun, M. A., 2008, ‘The 2007 elections and the imperative of electoral reform in Nigeria’, Covenant Journal of Business and Social Sciences 1 (2): 123–41.
- Assibong, P., and Oshanisi, O., 2018, ‘The role of information and communication technology (ICT) in the 2015 Presidential election of Nigeria’, Journal of Culture, Society and Development 38: 1–7.
- Ayeni, T. P., and Esan, A. O., 2018, ‘The impact of ICT in the conduct of elections in Nigeria’, American Journal of Computer Science Information Technology 6: 1. Aziken, E., 2015, ‘Card readers: lessons from other lands’, Vanguard Newspaper, https://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/03/card-readers-lessons-from-other-lands/, accessed 29 July 2019.
- Diamond, L., 2008, The Spirit of Democracy: The Struggle to Build Free Societies throughout the World, New York, NY: Times Books.
- Egobueze, A., and Ojirika, C., 2017, ‘Electoral violence in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic: implications for political stability’, Journal of Scientific Research and Reports 13 (2): 1–11.
- Ejikemejombo, N., 2015, ‘Information and communication technology and administration of 2015 General Election in Nigeria’, Mediterranean Journal of Social Science MCSER 7.
- Electoral Act, 2010, http://placng.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Electoral- Act-2010.pdf, accessed 23 April 2019.
- EU Election Observation Mission, 2019, http://www.eods.eu/library/02._eu_election_observation_mission_to_nigeria_assessment_of_the_23_february_ elections_25_february_final.pdf, accessed 11 March.
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- INEC, 2020, Report of the 2019 General Election, https://inecnigeria.org/wp-content/ uploads/2020/11/REPORT-OF-THE-2019-GENERAL-ELECTION.pdf, accessed August 2020.
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- IRI/NDI, 2019, Nigeria International Election Observation Mission Final Report, https://www.ndi.org/publications/irindi-nigeria-international-election-observation-mission-final-report, accessed June 2019.
- Kalu, T. O., and Gberevbie, D. E., 2018, ‘Election violence and democracy in Nigeria: a study of the 2011 and 2015 General Elections in Lagos State’, Kaduna Journal of Humanities 2 (1): 60–70.
- Kolawole, D., 2007, ‘Democracy, elections, majoritarianism and the Nigerian factor’,The Nation 3 (15).
- Kurfi, A., 2005, Nigerian General Elections, 1951–2003: My Role and Reminiscences, Ibadan: Spectrum Books.
- National Democratic Institute, 2015, Statement of the National Democratic Institute’s International Observer Mission to Nigeria’s March 28 Presidential and Legislative Elections, Abuja: NDI.
- Nwagwu, E. J., 2016, ‘Information and communication technology and administration of 2015 General Election in Nigeria’, Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences 7 (4): 303–16.
- Nwangwu, C., Onah V. C., and Otu, O. A., 2018, ‘Elixir of electoral fraud: the impact of digital technology on the 2015 General Elections in Nigeria’, Cogent Social Sciences 4: 1–19.
- Odeh, J., 2003, This Madness Called Election 2003, Enugu: SNAAP Press.
- Ojo, E. O., 2007, ‘Elections: an exploration of theoretical postulations’, Journal of African Elections 6 (2): 4–13.
- Ojo, J., 2018, ‘Electoral violence, vote-buying and Nigeria’s future elections’, Punch Newspaper, https://punchng.com/electoral-violence-vote-buying-and-nigerias- future-elections/, accessed 22 July 2019.
- Oladimeji, A., Olatunji, A., and Nwogwugwu, N., 2013, ‘A critical appraisal of the management of 2011 General Elections and implications for Nigeria’s future democratic development’, Kuwait Chapter of Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review 2 (5): 109–21.
- Olufunso A. P., 2019, ‘Election Petition Tribunals: Panacea for Electoral Brouhaha’, Law Axis 360°, https://lawaxis360degree.com/2019/04/22/election-petition- tribunals-panacea-for-electoral-brouhaha-ayotomiwa-p-olufunso-esq/, accessed27 September 2019.
- Olukomaiya, O., 2019, ‘Ilorin: INEC records improvement in the use of smart card readers’, P.M. News, https://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2019/03/09/ilorin-inec-records-improvement-in-the-use-of-smart-card-readers/, accessed 9 March 2019. Omotola, S., 2010, ‘Elections and democratic transition in Nigeria under the Fourth Republic’, African Affairs 109 (437): 535–53.
- Orji, N., 2017, ‘Preventive action and conflict mitigation in Nigeria’s 2015 elections’,Democratization 24 (4): 707–23.
- Oyekanmi, P. B. R., 2019, ‘INEC to engage National Assembly over Smart Card Reader, Electoral Offences Tribunal’, INEC News, https://inecnews.com/inec-to-engage-national-assembly-over-smart-card-reader-electoral-offences-tribunal/, accessed 3 December, 2019.
- Peters, S., 2015, ‘Opinion: illegality or otherwise of card readers in Nigerian electoral jurisprudence’, The Will Nigeria, http://thewillnigeria.com/news/opinion-illegality-or-otherwise-of-card-readers-in-nigerian-electoraljurisprudence/, accessed 18 June 2016.
- PLAC, 2017, ‘2015 General Election in Nigeria Compendium of Petitions’, accessed 23 April 2019.
- Reif, M., 2009, ‘Making democracy safe: explaining the causes, rise, and decline of coercive campaigning and election violence in old and new democracies’, paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Toronto, 3–6 September.
- Rogers, E. M., 1983, Diffusion of Innovations, 3rd Edition, New York, NY: Free Press. Shaban, A. R. A., 2019, ‘Nigeria votes: Lagos polling center rocked by violent disruption’, https://www.africanews.com/2019/02/23/nigeria-votes-lagos-polling-center-rocked-by-violent-disruption/, accessed 23 February 2019.
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- Ubanyionwu, C. J., 2012, ‘Election petition cases and the right to fair trial within a reasonable time in Nigeria’, https://www.ajol.info/index.php/naujilj/article/viewFile/136349/125840, accessed 23 April 2019.
References
Aderounmu, A., 2018, ‘How ICT can transform the future of elections in Nigeria’, Keynote Lecture at the 5th Covenant University Conference on e-Governance in Nigeria, Ota, 7 June 7, https://itpulse.com.ng/2018/06/13/how-ict-can-transform-the-future-of-elections-in-nigeria-by-adesola-aderounmu/, accessed 16 April 2019.
Adesote, A. S., and Abimbola, J. O., 2014, ‘Electoral violence and the survival of democracy in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic: a historical perspective’, Canadian Social Science 10 (3): 140–8.AllAfrica, 2020, ‘Nigeria: 3,479 petitions filed in 4 election cycles’, https://allafrica. com/stories/202001030087.html, accessed 3 January 2020.
Alvarez, R. M., Hall, T. E., and Hyde, S. D., 2009, Election Fraud: Detecting and Deterring
Electoral Manipulation, Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press. Animashaun, M. A., 2008, ‘The 2007 elections and the imperative of electoral reform in Nigeria’, Covenant Journal of Business and Social Sciences 1 (2): 123–41.
Assibong, P., and Oshanisi, O., 2018, ‘The role of information and communication technology (ICT) in the 2015 Presidential election of Nigeria’, Journal of Culture, Society and Development 38: 1–7.
Ayeni, T. P., and Esan, A. O., 2018, ‘The impact of ICT in the conduct of elections in Nigeria’, American Journal of Computer Science Information Technology 6: 1. Aziken, E., 2015, ‘Card readers: lessons from other lands’, Vanguard Newspaper, https://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/03/card-readers-lessons-from-other-lands/, accessed 29 July 2019.
Diamond, L., 2008, The Spirit of Democracy: The Struggle to Build Free Societies throughout the World, New York, NY: Times Books.
Egobueze, A., and Ojirika, C., 2017, ‘Electoral violence in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic: implications for political stability’, Journal of Scientific Research and Reports 13 (2): 1–11.
Ejikemejombo, N., 2015, ‘Information and communication technology and administration of 2015 General Election in Nigeria’, Mediterranean Journal of Social Science MCSER 7.
Electoral Act, 2010, http://placng.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Electoral- Act-2010.pdf, accessed 23 April 2019.
EU Election Observation Mission, 2019, http://www.eods.eu/library/02._eu_election_observation_mission_to_nigeria_assessment_of_the_23_february_ elections_25_february_final.pdf, accessed 11 March.
Ezeani, O., 2005, ‘Electoral malpractices in Nigeria: the case of 2003 general elections’, in G. Onu and A. Momoh, eds, Elections and Democratic Consolidation in Nigeria, Lagos: A Publication of Nigerian Political Science Association, http://www.placng.org/situation_room/sr/wpcontent/uploads/2017/07/Compendium-of-Election-Cases-in-Nigeria.pdf.
Idowu, K., 2015, ‘INEC statement on card reader demonstration’, http://www.inec.gov.ng/news-all/inec-statement-on-card-reader-demonstration/, accessed 29 July 2019.
IFES-Nigeria, 2007, EVER Report 6, IFES-Nigeria, Abuja.
INEC, 2020, Report of the 2019 General Election, https://inecnigeria.org/wp-content/ uploads/2020/11/REPORT-OF-THE-2019-GENERAL-ELECTION.pdf, accessed August 2020.
Imosemi, A., Taiwo, A., and Nzeribe, A., 2019, ‘An exploration of the 2019 General Elections in Nigeria: a review of the legal framework’, European Centre for Research Training and Development UK 7 (5): 62–84.
IRI/NDI, 2019, Nigeria International Election Observation Mission Final Report, https://www.ndi.org/publications/irindi-nigeria-international-election-observation-mission-final-report, accessed June 2019.
Kalu, T. O., and Gberevbie, D. E., 2018, ‘Election violence and democracy in Nigeria: a study of the 2011 and 2015 General Elections in Lagos State’, Kaduna Journal of Humanities 2 (1): 60–70.
Kolawole, D., 2007, ‘Democracy, elections, majoritarianism and the Nigerian factor’,The Nation 3 (15).
Kurfi, A., 2005, Nigerian General Elections, 1951–2003: My Role and Reminiscences, Ibadan: Spectrum Books.
National Democratic Institute, 2015, Statement of the National Democratic Institute’s International Observer Mission to Nigeria’s March 28 Presidential and Legislative Elections, Abuja: NDI.
Nwagwu, E. J., 2016, ‘Information and communication technology and administration of 2015 General Election in Nigeria’, Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences 7 (4): 303–16.
Nwangwu, C., Onah V. C., and Otu, O. A., 2018, ‘Elixir of electoral fraud: the impact of digital technology on the 2015 General Elections in Nigeria’, Cogent Social Sciences 4: 1–19.
Odeh, J., 2003, This Madness Called Election 2003, Enugu: SNAAP Press.
Ojo, E. O., 2007, ‘Elections: an exploration of theoretical postulations’, Journal of African Elections 6 (2): 4–13.
Ojo, J., 2018, ‘Electoral violence, vote-buying and Nigeria’s future elections’, Punch Newspaper, https://punchng.com/electoral-violence-vote-buying-and-nigerias- future-elections/, accessed 22 July 2019.
Oladimeji, A., Olatunji, A., and Nwogwugwu, N., 2013, ‘A critical appraisal of the management of 2011 General Elections and implications for Nigeria’s future democratic development’, Kuwait Chapter of Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review 2 (5): 109–21.
Olufunso A. P., 2019, ‘Election Petition Tribunals: Panacea for Electoral Brouhaha’, Law Axis 360°, https://lawaxis360degree.com/2019/04/22/election-petition- tribunals-panacea-for-electoral-brouhaha-ayotomiwa-p-olufunso-esq/, accessed27 September 2019.
Olukomaiya, O., 2019, ‘Ilorin: INEC records improvement in the use of smart card readers’, P.M. News, https://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2019/03/09/ilorin-inec-records-improvement-in-the-use-of-smart-card-readers/, accessed 9 March 2019. Omotola, S., 2010, ‘Elections and democratic transition in Nigeria under the Fourth Republic’, African Affairs 109 (437): 535–53.
Orji, N., 2017, ‘Preventive action and conflict mitigation in Nigeria’s 2015 elections’,Democratization 24 (4): 707–23.
Oyekanmi, P. B. R., 2019, ‘INEC to engage National Assembly over Smart Card Reader, Electoral Offences Tribunal’, INEC News, https://inecnews.com/inec-to-engage-national-assembly-over-smart-card-reader-electoral-offences-tribunal/, accessed 3 December, 2019.
Peters, S., 2015, ‘Opinion: illegality or otherwise of card readers in Nigerian electoral jurisprudence’, The Will Nigeria, http://thewillnigeria.com/news/opinion-illegality-or-otherwise-of-card-readers-in-nigerian-electoraljurisprudence/, accessed 18 June 2016.
PLAC, 2017, ‘2015 General Election in Nigeria Compendium of Petitions’, accessed 23 April 2019.
Reif, M., 2009, ‘Making democracy safe: explaining the causes, rise, and decline of coercive campaigning and election violence in old and new democracies’, paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Toronto, 3–6 September.
Rogers, E. M., 1983, Diffusion of Innovations, 3rd Edition, New York, NY: Free Press. Shaban, A. R. A., 2019, ‘Nigeria votes: Lagos polling center rocked by violent disruption’, https://www.africanews.com/2019/02/23/nigeria-votes-lagos-polling-center-rocked-by-violent-disruption/, accessed 23 February 2019.
Sobechi, L., 2019, ‘Usage of ICT eliminates multiple registrations, vote fraud, says INEC chairman’, The Guardian Nigeria, https://guardian.ng/politics/usage-of-ict-eliminates-multiple-registrations-vote-fraud-says-inec-chairman/, accessed 17 October 2019.
Ubanyionwu, C. J., 2012, ‘Election petition cases and the right to fair trial within a reasonable time in Nigeria’, https://www.ajol.info/index.php/naujilj/article/viewFile/136349/125840, accessed 23 April 2019.