By Chijioke Kingsley
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – A Jos based billionaire businessman Amb. Nelson Mkparu on Friday, lauded President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment and determination towards ensuring that his successor would emerge through a free, fair, credible and violence-free election.
Mkparu who is in the Pipe manufacturing industry said it was because of President Buhari’s resolve to guarantee the credibility of the impending general elections, that he promptly gave his assent to the amended Electoral Act.
According to him: “A major highlight of the amended electoral law is the legal backing it provided for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to deploy the necessary technology for the elections.
However, Mpkaru who spoke to our correspondent on the February 25th and Match 11th elections, maintained that the sustainability of Nigeria’s democracy is not linear, stressing that citizens not only have vital roles to play in the democratic process but must shun all vices capable of undermining the progress that have been recorded so far.
“In particular, the media is paramount in voter education so that the Nigerian citizens are enlightened to resist the urge of selling their votes and not to allow themselves to be used to commit electoral offences or cause violence before, during and after elections”, Mpkaru added.
It would be recalled that the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has stressed that only those with the Permanent Voters Card, PVC, would be allowed to vote during the general elections.
The INEC boss had said there was need for the Commission to continue to dispel the fears that the Bimodal Voter Registration System (BVAS), could be compromised.
According to him, the BVAS are highly secured, intact and cannot be compromised or hacked into, insisting that technology will be deployed to actualize a credible, fair and hitch-free general election in the country.
Yakubu had noted that the initial challenge was the lack of a clear-cut legal framework supporting the deployment of technology by the Commission, especially in the accreditation of voters and the voting process.
He had however, identified the spread of fake news and misinformation in the social media space, describing it a major challenge the electoral body is confronting.
