Less than 24 hours to the general elections, Connected Development (CODE), a Civil Society Organization says the 20,000 observers deployed to various polling units across the country to monitor the elections will be utilizing it’s digital technology platform know as Uzabe to provide real-time situation report as citizens cast their votes.
CODE disclosed this at the official opening of its situation room on Friday in Abuja.
The Chief Executive, Hamzat Lawal said”Uzabe is a unique technology that provides real-time situation reports from thousands of polling units across the country. But more importantly, Uzabe puts power in the hands of the citizens. For democracy to be successful, citizens must become informed about issues that can improve their lives.
“With Uzabe, citizens have access to real-time situation report and analysis on electoral processes across various polling units. And this is powered by 20,000 tenacious citizens who have volunteered to observe elections across the 36 States and FCT. This qualifies Uzabe as a citizen-led movement”.
He said his organisation is partnering with reputable media organizations to expand coverage and fact-check information to quell fake news, mis & disinformation likely to incite violence or significantly impact the elections.
The Chief Executive also stressed that Uzabe will assist in checkmating manipulations perpetrated by mischief makers and fanatics and ensure that they adhere to electoral guidelines and the rules of law.
“We should all recognize that in a truly democratic system, the citizens are the kingmakers. Voters are the kings in the garb of common people. They are the ones responsible for the creation of the government. Voters are the supreme power in a democracy. This means our duty goes beyond casting our ballot but also ensuring that we stick together united in our values as we pick leaders who imbibe and reflect these values.
“From our observation of elections in 2011, 2015, and 2019, and the recently concluded 2022 Kenyan elections, we have seen the power of technology and the people. This is why we are excited to see INEC’s deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) technology. We observed its use during the Ekiti and Osun elections and while there were few concerns, for all intents and purposes, the BVAS is designed to improve transparency in the voting process.
“This is why for us at CODE, it is important to observe the electoral process and monitor adherence to INEC guidelines.
“Even one vote can make a great difference. Every voter should cast his or her vote in the right manner, to the right person and without any pressure. We all must cast our vote and also inspire others to cast their votes because voting is the weapon which can help solve our problems and can bring great change in the country”, he added.
Lawal further expressed confidence in the country’s security agencies in ensuring the safety of electorates as they exercise their civic duty.
He said “the past few months have been a defining period for Nigeria. The Security atmosphere has become a note of worry and if you’ve been following the news you must have seen or heard cases of pre-election violence. But we are assured of the capacity of the security agencies to safeguard all Nigerians as we cast our ballot. This is why we have partnered with security agencies so that any issue of violence that is reported from the field is immediately escalated and directed to the right channels”.
