The Nigerian Army has thrown its weight behind electronic voting and collation of results in future elections.

The army made its position on elections known in Abuja, yesterday, at an Electoral Reform Roundtable in the country’s Federal Capital Territory.

Chief of Army Staff, Liuetenant General Tukur Buratai, who was represented by Brigadier General John Ochai, former brigade commander of 22 Army Brigade in Dikwa, Borno, urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to work towards using science and information technology to conduct subsequent elections to reduce human interference.

He spoke on the theme: Securing Nigerian Elections.

Buratai said after the 2019 elections, the army conducted an inquiry into the complaints raised by Nigerians and disclosed that it came to the conclusion that any personnel found wanting would be punished accordingly,

“I think it is going to the extreme to say that the elections were militarised because the military participation was based on constitutional provision which empowered the government to deploy the military in aid of civil authority.

“Going forward, the way to go is science and technology and other innovative methods by INEC to make it necessary to provide the type of security needed to secure our elections.

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“For instance, if we adopt the electronic voting system, it will go a long way in reducing human interference and take people off polling units on election day.

“The advantage is that we will have more people voting, especially those in Diaspora.

“The issue of collation of results should also be done electronically.

“That way, the value placed on result sheets for which people get killed would be reduced; just as in Benue, where thugs laid ambush on the officials bringing the results,’’ he said.

The chief of army staff said if Nigeria’s elections would be secured, technology is the way forward, and added that more than 20 countries, including Namibia, are already practising it.

He urged INEC to begin to, right away, plan other innovations, ahead of the 2023 elections; thereby reducing the activities of security agents in elections.