Electronic Transfer: El-Rufai To Take Advocacy To PMB, Lawan, Gbajabiamila

*Maintains process that guarantees people’s choices in an
election

Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has said that the
state has demonstrated its predisposition to electronic voting
which reflects the will of the people.

He said with the method adopted in the state and the level of
successes recorded, he would have to see the President, Muhammadu
Buhari, on advocacy, for electronic voting and transfer of results,
from the polling units to the central server nationwide.

The Kaduna State Governor, who appeared on Channels tv morning
show said he would also take similar advocacy to the President of
the Senate, Senator, Ahmad Lawan and his counterpart, Femi
Gbajabiamila, the Speaker of the House of Representatives to
reconsider the position of the twin chamber on electronic voting
and transfer of results.

El-Rufai said when certain measures are adopted the risks of
electronic transmission of results would be overcome, in the
interest of the public and transparency. He stressed that Nigeria
has the manpower and intellectual prowess to do this.

“I will personally take this up with Mr President, the President
of the Senate and with Mr Speaker of the House and try to get more
advocacy, I think what we need to understand is that this system is
nearly full proof,” El-Rufai stated.

The governor, tasked the legislators, to take a second look at
the use of technology for voting and transfer of results, from the
polling units for transparency and credibility of the outcome of
the election.

“I think the National Assembly should take a second look at the
provisions regarding the use of technology in elections.

“People are talking about an electronic transfer, that is just
one aspect of the challenge. The other aspect is to do the election
electronically, it is simple, anybody that can use a phone, can use
that system and vote and be reasonably sure that his vote would
count.”

The Kaduna State Governor said legislators must dismiss with
parochial thoughts of self-serving tendencies, which was not
populist in a democracy.

He maintained that the voting pattern in the National Assembly
was not necessarily that of the All Progressives Congress as a
political party but personal.

An overwhelming number of All Progressives legislators voted
against the electronic transfer of results when both chambers at
different dates voted on the electronic transfer of election
results.

Of the three senators representing Kaduna State two of the
ruling All Progressives Party (APC), Senator, Uba Sani, Kaduna
Central and Senator, Suleiman Abu Kwari, Kaduna North voted against
the electronic transfer of election results while the lone People’s
Democratic (PDP) Senator, Danjuma Tells La’ah, Kaduna South voted
in support of the electronic transfer of election results.

The governor noted that the challenge fears expressed on
electronic voting and transfer of results has been conquered by the
Kaduna State election body.

“The reason why you saw the voting along partisan lines is that
incumbents want to protect what they have, if you are the incumbent
you would want to protect what you have.

“This is the system you know and this is the system that is
likely to return you back to the office.

“People that do not understand technology are genuine concerns
about it, what you do not know you fear, this is
understandable.

“Electronic elections is not full proof, we have had the
election in Kenya where the election server was hacked and the
result was changed and the Supreme court had to annul the
elections.

“What is the solution, the solution is what we have adopted in
Kaduna State, have multiple ways of having the result other than
electronic transmission.

“It is true that electronic transmissions of results can be
hacked. If you have it physically on USB; if you have the paper
result signed by all the agents; if you have the security agencies
with copies of all the results,” it becomes difficult for those who
think compromising the result in the server would give them an
edge.”

El-Rufai said the solution to the fears entertained is also in
the technology.

“We print at least 10 copies of the results and give all the
security agencies; we give the other party agents then the
electronic version of the result is done in USB that is physically
carried to the collation centre, in addition to what the central
server has.

“Now unless these three checked and all the boxes are tick you
reject the result. It thinks that would provide enough guarantees
against fears that the electronic transmissions of results will
lead to tampering

“There are two aspects to this electronic voting, the first is
the voting process itself, that we have shown can be full-proof.
The improvement we suggested was to integrate the details in the
smart card reader and biometrics into the machine and effect, then,
the machine becomes almost impossible to manipulate.

“Secondly, let us say the voting is done and was now collated
how does it get to the server without being hacked, the fear is
that the server can be hacked.

“You can introduce the two backups that we have in Kaduna which
are the physical result signed by the agents and given to security
agencies and electronic result on the USB that can then be
delivered to the collation centre and checked.

“Unless the three tally, then the result of that polling unit or
that ward are cancelled.

“If you embed that in the law, that is the evidence that can be
tendered, then it will take care of everything. It can be tendered
in court.

“I think just as technology has its risks, technology is the
solution. If we use our brains and there are enough brains in
Nigeria to be able to do this.

“I think we have enough time to work on this and we are ready to
share our experience with INEC. Indeed, INEC sent a team in 2018
and they did in this election, I think it is a direction INEC is
thinking about.”

He maintained that the party was not against electronic voting
and electronic transfer of results, else, the party would have
directed otherwise in the state.

“I do not think APC has a position against electronic voting, I
would know, if the party has such a position, I will not be allowed
to make it in my state if the party has an otherwise position on
the matter.

“I think people took the individual position but having said
that, I will say that with the success in Kaduna, a success that is
almost total, we are going to do a bit more in explaining this,”
El-Rufai noted.

*Maintains process that guarantees people’s choices in an
election

Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has said that the
state has demonstrated its predisposition to electronic voting
which reflects the will of the people.

He said with the method adopted in the state and the level of
successes recorded, he would have to see the President, Muhammadu
Buhari, on advocacy, for electronic voting and transfer of results,
from the polling units to the central server nationwide.

The Kaduna State Governor, who appeared on Channels tv morning
show said he would also take similar advocacy to the President of
the Senate, Senator, Ahmad Lawan and his counterpart, Femi
Gbajabiamila, the Speaker of the House of Representatives to
reconsider the position of the twin chamber on electronic voting
and transfer of results.

El-Rufai said when certain measures are adopted the risks of
electronic transmission of results would be overcome, in the
interest of the public and transparency. He stressed that Nigeria
has the manpower and intellectual prowess to do this.

“I will personally take this up with Mr President, the President
of the Senate and with Mr Speaker of the House and try to get more
advocacy, I think what we need to understand is that this system is
nearly full proof,” El-Rufai stated.

The governor, tasked the legislators, to take a second look at
the use of technology for voting and transfer of results, from the
polling units for transparency and credibility of the outcome of
the election.

“I think the National Assembly should take a second look at the
provisions regarding the use of technology in elections.

“People are talking about an electronic transfer, that is just
one aspect of the challenge. The other aspect is to do the election
electronically, it is simple, anybody that can use a phone, can use
that system and vote and be reasonably sure that his vote would
count.”

The Kaduna State Governor said legislators must dismiss with
parochial thoughts of self-serving tendencies, which was not
populist in a democracy.

He maintained that the voting pattern in the National Assembly
was not necessarily that of the All Progressives Congress as a
political party but personal.

An overwhelming number of All Progressives legislators voted
against the electronic transfer of results when both chambers at
different dates voted on the electronic transfer of election
results.

Of the three senators representing Kaduna State two of the
ruling All Progressives Party (APC), Senator, Uba Sani, Kaduna
Central and Senator, Suleiman Abu Kwari, Kaduna North voted against
the electronic transfer of election results while the lone People’s
Democratic (PDP) Senator, Danjuma Tells La’ah, Kaduna South voted
in support of the electronic transfer of election results.

The governor noted that the challenge fears expressed on
electronic voting and transfer of results has been conquered by the
Kaduna State election body.

“The reason why you saw the voting along partisan lines is that
incumbents want to protect what they have, if you are the incumbent
you would want to protect what you have.

“This is the system you know and this is the system that is
likely to return you back to the office.

“People that do not understand technology are genuine concerns
about it, what you do not know you fear, this is
understandable.

“Electronic elections is not full proof, we have had the
election in Kenya where the election server was hacked and the
result was changed and the Supreme court had to annul the
elections.

“What is the solution, the solution is what we have adopted in
Kaduna State, have multiple ways of having the result other than
electronic transmission.

“It is true that electronic transmissions of results can be
hacked. If you have it physically on USB; if you have the paper
result signed by all the agents; if you have the security agencies
with copies of all the results,” it becomes difficult for those who
think compromising the result in the server would give them an
edge.”

El-Rufai said the solution to the fears entertained is also in
the technology.

“We print at least 10 copies of the results and give all the
security agencies; we give the other party agents then the
electronic version of the result is done in USB that is physically
carried to the collation centre, in addition to what the central
server has.

“Now unless these three checked and all the boxes are tick you
reject the result. It thinks that would provide enough guarantees
against fears that the electronic transmissions of results will
lead to tampering

“There are two aspects to this electronic voting, the first is
the voting process itself, that we have shown can be full-proof.
The improvement we suggested was to integrate the details in the
smart card reader and biometrics into the machine and effect, then,
the machine becomes almost impossible to manipulate.

“Secondly, let us say the voting is done and was now collated
how does it get to the server without being hacked, the fear is
that the server can be hacked.

“You can introduce the two backups that we have in Kaduna which
are the physical result signed by the agents and given to security
agencies and electronic result on the USB that can then be
delivered to the collation centre and checked.

“Unless the three tally, then the result of that polling unit or
that ward are cancelled.

“If you embed that in the law, that is the evidence that can be
tendered, then it will take care of everything. It can be tendered
in court.

“I think just as technology has its risks, technology is the
solution. If we use our brains and there are enough brains in
Nigeria to be able to do this.

“I think we have enough time to work on this and we are ready to
share our experience with INEC. Indeed, INEC sent a team in 2018
and they did in this election, I think it is a direction INEC is
thinking about.”

He maintained that the party was not against electronic voting
and electronic transfer of results, else, the party would have
directed otherwise in the state.

“I do not think APC has a position against electronic voting, I
would know, if the party has such a position, I will not be allowed
to make it in my state if the party has an otherwise position on
the matter.

“I think people took the individual position but having said
that, I will say that with the success in Kaduna, a success that is
almost total, we are going to do a bit more in explaining this,”
El-Rufai noted.