Smart card reader and electoral transparency in Nigeria : the case of 2015 general elections

Periodic elections are characteristics of contemporary democracy, because they serve as means of changing non performing representatives of the people. In Nigeria, it is difficult to ascertain whether elections have over the years served the above mentioned purpose. Elections in Nigeria have b...

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Main Authors: Akwen, Gabriel Tyoyila, Jooji, Innocent, Ravichandran Moorthy
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2018
Online Access:http://journalarticle.ukm.my/20665/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/20665/1/26795-80864-1-SM.pdf
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author Akwen, Gabriel Tyoyila
Jooji, Innocent
Ravichandran Moorthy,
author_facet Akwen, Gabriel Tyoyila
Jooji, Innocent
Ravichandran Moorthy,
author_sort Akwen, Gabriel Tyoyila
building UKM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Periodic elections are characteristics of contemporary democracy, because they serve as means of changing non performing representatives of the people. In Nigeria, it is difficult to ascertain whether elections have over the years served the above mentioned purpose. Elections in Nigeria have been characterized by irregularities, consequently the introduction of the Smart Card Reader to correct the abnormalities. This paper examined the effectiveness of the use of Smart Card Reader in search for electoral transparency in Nigeria, as experimented during the 2015 general elections. It relied heavily on secondly data. Using the system theory as espoused by David Easton as it theoretical foundation, the paper disclosed that, the use of smart card reader in the Nigeria’s 2015 general elections to a large extent reduced the level of electoral scam that is widely known to have characterized the Nigerian electoral system. The paper also reveals that despite the success recorded by the use of the smart card reader, there were some challenges recorded and also controversy surrounding the legality of the use of smart card reader. Based on the challenges encountered by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the use of the smart card reader, the paper recommends adequate education as the panacea for the effective use of the smart card reader in Nigeria’s subsequent elections.
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spelling oai:generic.eprints.org:206652022-12-11T00:35:08Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/20665/ Smart card reader and electoral transparency in Nigeria : the case of 2015 general elections Akwen, Gabriel Tyoyila Jooji, Innocent Ravichandran Moorthy, Periodic elections are characteristics of contemporary democracy, because they serve as means of changing non performing representatives of the people. In Nigeria, it is difficult to ascertain whether elections have over the years served the above mentioned purpose. Elections in Nigeria have been characterized by irregularities, consequently the introduction of the Smart Card Reader to correct the abnormalities. This paper examined the effectiveness of the use of Smart Card Reader in search for electoral transparency in Nigeria, as experimented during the 2015 general elections. It relied heavily on secondly data. Using the system theory as espoused by David Easton as it theoretical foundation, the paper disclosed that, the use of smart card reader in the Nigeria’s 2015 general elections to a large extent reduced the level of electoral scam that is widely known to have characterized the Nigerian electoral system. The paper also reveals that despite the success recorded by the use of the smart card reader, there were some challenges recorded and also controversy surrounding the legality of the use of smart card reader. Based on the challenges encountered by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the use of the smart card reader, the paper recommends adequate education as the panacea for the effective use of the smart card reader in Nigeria’s subsequent elections. Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2018 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://journalarticle.ukm.my/20665/1/26795-80864-1-SM.pdf Akwen, Gabriel Tyoyila and Jooji, Innocent and Ravichandran Moorthy, (2018) Smart card reader and electoral transparency in Nigeria : the case of 2015 general elections. e-BANGI: Jurnal Sains Sosial dan Kemanusiaan, 13 (2). pp. 1-10. ISSN 1823-884x https://ejournal.ukm.my/ebangi/issue/view/1116
spellingShingle Akwen, Gabriel Tyoyila
Jooji, Innocent
Ravichandran Moorthy,
Smart card reader and electoral transparency in Nigeria : the case of 2015 general elections
title Smart card reader and electoral transparency in Nigeria : the case of 2015 general elections
title_full Smart card reader and electoral transparency in Nigeria : the case of 2015 general elections
title_fullStr Smart card reader and electoral transparency in Nigeria : the case of 2015 general elections
title_full_unstemmed Smart card reader and electoral transparency in Nigeria : the case of 2015 general elections
title_short Smart card reader and electoral transparency in Nigeria : the case of 2015 general elections
title_sort smart card reader and electoral transparency in nigeria : the case of 2015 general elections
url http://journalarticle.ukm.my/20665/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/20665/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/20665/1/26795-80864-1-SM.pdf