WED, 30 SEPT, 2020-theGBJournal-The Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye said today in a statement, that ‘’so far, eight companies have made presentations through a combination of physical and virtual means, before an audience of Commission members, a team of Director and ICT staff.’’ His statement is in reference to the Commission’s move to deploy Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for elections in the country in the near future.
He said the Commission will continue to update Nigerians on the ongoing process in line with its efforts to deepen the use of technology in elections.
INEC made the decision to invite the original manufacturers of EVMs around the world for a virtual or practical demonstration to enable the Commission evaluate the available technology for the purposes of electronic voting.
‘’Over 40 companies indicated interest and have been invited for a live presentation,’’ Okoye said.
INEC on Monday carried out a demonstration of the electronic voting machines at the conference room, INEC headquarters, Abuja with the Chairman Prof Mahmood Yakubu emphasizing that the demonstration was only an exercise that will enable the Commission to evaluate the available technology and where necessary fine tune the specifications before proceeding to the next stage which will involve the participation of stakeholders.
‘’Let me reassure Nigerians that the Commission is committed to expediting the process leading to the deployment of EVMs in elections in earnest,’’ the Chairman said.
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