Former President Goodluck Jonathan has emphasized that automating the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IREV) would enhance trust in Nigeria’s electoral process by eliminating human interference.
Speaking at the YIAGA Africa Reflection Conference on Democratic Elections in West Africa in Abuja on Tuesday, Jonathan stated that the controversy surrounding the 2023 presidential election could have been avoided if the technology had been fully automated.
“The issue of controversy about BVAS and IREV, for example—if BVAS captures data, that data should be automatically uploaded to the IREV. It should not depend on an interface by a human factor who will not come and tell us about glitches,” he said.
According to Jonathan, reliance on human intervention in transmitting election results creates room for manipulation, undermining confidence in the process.
“If it is so automated that no human factor will stop it, then of course, it will be seamless. But if I am to direct the BVAS before the BVAS is supposed to do the work that has been automated, then I can do what I think suits my interest,” the former President added.
While acknowledging that technology alone has not resolved all electoral challenges, he stressed that it remains crucial for improving Nigeria’s elections.
‘Too Many Ghost Voters in Nigeria’
Jonathan also expressed concerns about voter turnout, suggesting that inflated voter registers contribute to Nigeria’s low participation rates.
“There are some areas of concern I also have, especially in Nigeria. At the end of elections, you hardly get up to 40 percent of Nigerians voting. Do you believe that is correct? My belief is that we have too many ghost voters,” he remarked.
He argued that in highly competitive elections where neither party can manipulate the system, only genuine voters would participate, resulting in a more accurate reflection of public will.
“Whenever the situation is strong, when both parties are strong, and you cannot manipulate the system, then only the real human beings will get the vote. And the real human beings will be left at 50 percent,” Jonathan concluded.