“What I Discussed With President Buhari” – El-Rufai Reveals

Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufa’i on Tuesday said he updated President Muhammadu Buhari on the use of electronic voting system during last Saturday’s Local Government elections.

Speaking to State House correspondents after a closed door meeting at the Presidential Villa, El-Rufa’i said he expressed the readiness of the Kaduna state government to give out the machines on mutually acceptable terms to state governments that were yet to conduct local government elections.

“Absolutely, I recommend it highly to everyone, I have already offered to my colleagues state governors that are yet to conduct local government elections that they can come to Kaduna and we can give them the machines on mutually acceptable terms.

“All you will need is to change the software, it will have the logo of the state and the number of parties active in the state, they can use it. It is easy.

“At federal level, I will recommend it as well because with the card reader and the electronic voting machine, the era of rigging elections is almost over and I think that is when people will have confidence in the process and will come out enmass to vote for their leaders.

“Having said that, I know we have been working on this for about one year before we got to where we are. Although it is possible for INEC to do it, it will be logistically difficult.

“But nothing stops them from trying if the resources are available. Because, the machines have already been manufactured, the designs are there, you only need to place the orders to the Chinese and I’m sure they will deliver them in no time’’ he said.

El-Rufa’i also dismissed the assertion that the use of e-voting was against the Electoral Act.

“I don’t agree with that.

“There is an amendment to the Electoral Act that President Jonathan signed a few days before he left office which legitimize the use of the card reader and other electronic systems for voting.

“So, in my view the current Electoral Act has provision for the electoral voting.

“But, that is not even what we used in Kaduna. In Kaduna, we enacted our own electoral law that made provision for the electronic voting machine and card reader, everything was totally legitimized and passed by our State House of Assembly and I think every state can do the same,” he said.

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