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Nigeria’s Ministry of Communications and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) plan to host an ICT summit targeting to reduce electoral malpractices, according to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). The summit is scheduled for October 2 and 3 in Abuja.
The Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, in Abuja this week, said the collaboration would provide the required platform for stakeholders to brainstorm on harnessing ICT in advancing the country’s electoral process.
The minister said the upcoming Electronic Campaigns Marketing Summit 2018 with the theme: “The Role of ICT in Electoral Process Management and Marketing Communications’’, will highlight how ICT can be used as a tool in checking indices of electoral malpractices in Nigeria.
The summit plans to increase public confidence in the country’s electoral process, using appropriate and cost effective technology.
“It will examine the role of communication between citizens and political actors as well as the inter dependence of internet and other mass media in ensuring credible, free and fair elections in 2019 and beyond.
“There is no gainsaying that technology has drastically reduced incidences of electoral malpractices such as ballot stuffing, result sheet mutilation, over voting, alteration of result sheets and hijacking of ballot boxes in the history of Nigeria elections.
“However, there is still need to get more sophisticated with technologies in order to meet up with international standard,’’ said Shittu.
The summit will also highlight the importance of exploring online campaigns for 2019 general elections, and the use of social media platforms to get candidates’ messages out to potential voters.
