Bishop Kukah said, “The clarity of the process will naturally empower citizens that their vote has power and encourage them to go out and vote.
Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese, Matthew Kukah has said the approval of electronic voting by the Senate will prevent corrupt Christian and Islamic clerics from manipulating politicians.
He also said crooked judges who make money through tribunals that emanate from grievances and irregularities of election processes will suffer because of electronic voting.
According to the Catholic clergyman, the dispensation of technology-aided voting will humiliate politicians, clerics as well as lawyers and judges that have perverted justice and feasted on the ignorance of the populace.
Kukah said this in an article he titled, ‘Electronic Transmission; How INEC Slayed The Dragon’.
The Bishop wrote about the Electoral Act Amendment Bill in which the Senate approved electronic voting and transmission of voting results.
The Upper Chamber on October 12 had said, “The Commission (INEC) may transmit the result of elections by electronic means where and when practicable.”
In his article over the weekend which was obtained by SaharaReporters on Sunday, Bishop Kukah said, “The clarity of the process will naturally empower citizens that their vote has power and encourage them to go out and vote. Those who have taunted the system have their days numbered.”
The Bishop further said, “Fake and midnight pastors and Imams may have to look elsewhere for cheap money from politicians desperate for endorsement. Very soon, our anointing oils or royal blessings will no longer be required for the manufacturing of votes.
“There are no prayers for winning elections just as there are no prayers for stopping the traffic lights. Corrupt judges waiting for Tribunals to ambush the process along with their high profile lawyer counterparts now have to look elsewhere.
“This is the dawn of technology which will shame those who have invested in preying on the ignorance and vulnerability of their people and continue to exploit them. Magic and sorcery have no future. We hope the National Assembly will continue to appropriate the required funding to enable INEC embrace the required technology.
“If we do this, perhaps, Nigeria’s days of shame might come to an end sooner than later. A few other things have to happen before we start our celebrations and INEC has requested that on the whole, human interference, manipulation, should be replaced with technology.
“Rather sadly, the writers of the Electoral Act did not anticipate something like the Card Reader. Those sections of the Act that did not foresee technological advancement should be immediately eliminated and the doors fully thrown open for INEC to use its researchers to explore the limitless frontiers of technological possibilities.
“Thus, the electronic transmission of results is contingent on other technologies such as; a biometric register, electronic accreditation of voters, electronic balloting and collation of results. It is a successful sequencing of these phases that will mark the turning point for us. It is still a long road ahead but it is one of promise for us.”