Professor Pat Utomi, a member of the Movement for Credible Elections, has raised concerns over the use of technology in Nigeria’s electoral process, warning that restricting tools that could improve transparency may have serious consequences.
Utomi made the remarks during an appearance on Arise News on Tuesday, where he advocated the deployment of technology, including body cameras and livestreaming, at polling units across the country.
According to the political economist, election monitoring should not depend solely on party agents, particularly because some political parties may be unable to deploy representatives to every polling unit.
He argued that allowing citizens and observers to livestream proceedings could provide an additional layer of transparency and make it more difficult for election results to be manipulated in places where opposition party agents are absent.
Utomi said: “The election should be technologised; body cams, live streaming from every polling booth in the country.”
He further questioned any attempt by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to restrict devices that could be used to promote transparency during elections.
“If INEC tells us that people can’t bring things to make elections transparent, then they are criminals who want the elections not to be transparent,” he said.
Utomi also pointed to electoral practices in countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States, arguing that technology and independent monitoring could give citizens greater access to election information.
He maintained that greater public awareness and collaboration among citizens could help protect votes and strengthen confidence in the electoral process.
“If people become aware that their votes can count, and they come out and vote, it’s not a 300,000 Nigerian police force that can prevent the people’s will from taking place,” Utomi stated.
The political economist also criticised the use of public resources for political campaigns, arguing that politicians who divert public funds for electoral purposes should face legal consequences.
“One day I would like to see politicians go to jail for spending public money to run for office,” he said.
Utomi concluded by reiterating his call for body cameras and livestreaming at polling units, adding that Nigerians should have greater access to technology capable of strengthening electoral transparency.
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