The introduction of the PVC and smartcard readers in 2015 piloted the integration of technology into Nigeria’s electoral system.
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As things stand, the card is not used to authenticate voters; rather, the Voters Registration Number is used to access the details of voters, while verification is done through biometric components like fingerprints and images. While Mr Yakubu’s argument seems logical, PVC is backed by a legislative framework: the Electoral Act. Section 16 of the Electoral Act 2022 empowers INEC to design, print, and control the issuance of PVCs to eligible voters whose names appear in the register.Section 47 of the Act requires that the person intending to vote shall present him/herself with his/her voter’s card to the presiding officer for accreditation at the polling unit where his/her name is registered.
“We want to ensure that before you are a voter, you must register your name. It is important because you are supposed to be a Nigerian first before you can talk about voting. And the only security number you have in Nigeria today, which is your social security number, is a NIN number.“And we have spoken with the NIMC head. She has told us that they have the capacity to register everybody. And it is for people to come out on time to register,” Mr Balogun said during an interview in Accra, Ghana.
Nonetheless, integrating the NIN into the electoral process may be the toughest task, considering Nigeria’s history of reviewing electoral laws. The deep mistrust among political actors in Nigeria makes innovation very difficult, particularly if they require amending or enacting laws.the process as lawmakers were divided along party lines. Many within the ruling party opposed the total electronic transmission of election results, arguing that the decision should be left to INEC.
The EC believes integrating the Ghana Card into the electoral system is critical, but politicians in parliament were unconvinced. As stated, one of the mandates of the National Identity Management Commission , the body responsible for managing the national identity system in Nigeria, is to create a fundamental identity card system that could enhance the electoral system. However, due to the lengthy timeframe for the system to meet its mandate, multiple functional identity card systems have been created, forcing the government to embark on data harmonisation.
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