Romanus Ugwu, Abuja

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), yesterday, carried out a test run  of  electronic voting system.

INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, who spoke at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja , yesterday, said 40 companies which indicated interest in the project  were invited to demonstrate how their IT solutions met its  specifications.

There have been calls for electronic voting as a means to improve the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process.

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At the demonstration of the e-voting machines, Yakubu said the commission invited the companies after it developed specifications of the functions required for the process.

“After extensive discussion and review, the commission took the decision to invite original manufacturers of electronic voting machines (EVMs) around the world for a virtual or practical demonstration of the machines. Over 40 companies that indicated interest will demonstrate to the commission how their IT solutions meet our specifications. I wish to emphasise that this is only a demonstration that will enable the commission to evaluate the available technology and where necessary fine-tune our specifications before proceeding to the next stage which will involve the participation of stakeholders.”

He described the initiative as “another giant step” in the INEC’s continuous effort to “deepen electoral integrity in Nigeria through the deployment of technology,  he said.