Abia South Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe has said that Nigeria’s electoral challenges are not caused by technology but by the way courts interpret electoral laws.
Speaking at a review of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) innovations in electoral technology from 2015 to 2025, organised by the Anthena Centre in Abuja, Abaribe argued that the judiciary has failed to keep pace with the commission’s technological improvements.
“I don’t think that there is anyone who is against innovation that will improve the process. If there’s anyone, it is not me,” Abaribe said. “I am actually a beneficiary of the new INEC process of direct transmission of results. The key issue we need to look at — and most people are not paying attention — is that our judicial processes are years behind the innovations we are implementing.”
He added that INEC guidelines, which should be regarded as part of electoral law, are often ignored by courts, undermining the benefits of technological reforms in elections.