计算机工程与信息技术学报

E-Voting in Nigeria: Barriers to Full Implementation

Adebimpe Omolayo Esan and Paul Toba Ayeni

Over the years, Nigeria has been desirous of a credible voting system due to the irregularities that hampered previous elections which include: ballot stuffing, intimidation of voters, hijacking of ballot boxes, violence and manipulation of election results. Hence, the Independent National Electoral Commission introduced Direct Data Capture Machine technology in 2007 which produced the Electronic Voters’ Register and smart card readers which has since been used for all elections. Though the introduction of Electronic Voters’ Register and smart card readers improved the electoral process, research reveals that it is yet to achieve the desired results. Hence, this paper aims at studying the required e-voting system in Nigeria and the barriers to its full implementation as well as the way forward. It is believed that the full implementation of e-voting system in Nigeria would save the country from the awful experiences of the past as it promises free, fair, transparent, convenient and confidential elections as well as the speedy processing of results.