PDP Carpets Amupitan For Saying Technology Can’t Be Relied Upon For Credible Elections 

The Peoples Democratic Party( PDP) has told the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan not to underplay the importance of technology to successful, free, fair and credible election in the country.

The party insisted that the deployment of technology is the answer to credible election and that Nigerians will not expect less from the electoral body .

This is as the PDP  condemned in its entirety, a statement made on Thursday by Prof.Joash Amupitan that technological innovations can not be completely relied on at ensuring a free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria.

Amupitan, at the annual National Stakeholders Forum on Elections organized by the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room with the theme Securing Nigeria’s Democracy ; Building Consensus For Credible Elections and Accountable Governance ” was quoted by the media to have expressed reservations over the effectiveness of technology to be able to overcome the legitimacy of Nigeria’s democracy .

Reaction to the statement  made by the INEC chairman, the Osun State chapter of PDP described such  as not only careless, unguarded but loaded with many pregnant meanings capable of undermining the good expectations of Nigerians and non Nigerians in the coming elections

The Osun PDP while calling on Prof Amupitan to allay such doubts and accordingly tender an open apology to all Nigerians and International Community, maintained that nothing short of a free, fair and credible elections devoid of the usual malfeasances of the past elections would be acceptable to all Nigerians and non Nigerians alike.

Hon. Sunday Bisi in the statement stressed the imperative of credibility in all the elections that would be completely infused with technology as legally and systematically backed by the Electoral Act 2022, especially the deployment of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS)

The party chairman also alluded to the fact and reality on ground that technology is a panacea to the usual rigging conundrums which marred majority of the previously held elections in Nigeria

Bisi said “as a body in charge of conducting and supervising elections in Nigeria, the Osun State Chapter of PDP is of the strong conviction that such a statement by Prof Amupitan was not only careless, unguarded but unfortunate at this time.

“As a party, we view it as tantamount to preparing ground for rigging in the coming elections in Nigeria, which, will at best not be welcomed not only by all Nigerians but lovers of democracy all over the world.

“As Nigeria’s new INEC boss, Prof. Amupitan should be reminded that the whole essence of investing heavily on technology by the FG is for the technology to deliver the wishes of all Nigerians, and if there are seeming fears and lapses technology-wise, as expressed by the new INEC Czar, it then behooves a body like INEC, currently headed by him, to ensure that such perceived obstacles are given the necessary attention and corrections to checkmate what would affect the credibility of the coming elections in Nigeria.

“Telling Nigerians and the whole world that technology is not reliable in the coming elections is like preparing the minds of people on what they should expect before the conduct of the elections.

“To this end, Osun PDP chapter under my leadership as the state chairman is urging and calling on Prof. Amupitan to withdraw such comments forthwith and ensure that all the technological devices meant to enhance the credibility of all elections serve their purposes. Technology is and should be seen and regarded as the best way.”