September 30, (THEWILL) – The lawmaker representing Borno South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Ali Ndume, has raised serious concerns over Nigeria’s electoral system, saying the process is deliberately designed to allow manipulation.
Ndume spoke on Sunday, during an interactive session with journalists in Kano after attending a Senate retreat on constitutional review.
Expressing frustration with the complexity of the current electoral process, Ndume argued for a more transparent system that could leverage technology to ensure free and fair elections.
“The elections in Nigeria are deliberately complicated to allow for manipulation. Why don’t we make laws that ensure the votes count? Why not enable citizens to elect someone from their phones? Why not allow INEC to monitor elections through technology and create a situation room? Google can tell you your location in real-time, so why can’t we leverage technology for our elections?” he queried, adding that the problem with the electoral system is a lack of sincerity, honesty, and fear of God among political leaders.
Ndume also questioned the need for a new electoral body to conduct local government elections, asserting that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is underutilised.
“I support local government autonomy and the idea of INEC conducting local government polls. One issue being discussed in the National Assembly is the creation of a National Local Government Electoral Commission, and I am not in support of it,” he said.
Ndume also lamented the high level of corruption in Nigeria, saying “Our major challenge in this country is corruption. We have no proactive law to address it. In Nigeria, if someone who was poor last week suddenly buys ten cars and a jet, they are celebrated, and people say, ‘God has blessed our son.’ In developed countries, they ask how, when, and where the money came from.
“I even approached a former Head of State, hoping he could sign an executive bill on the issue. But to this day, there is no Unexplained Wealth Act or executive order addressing it in Nigeria.”
