Africa
A leading civil society organisation, Connected Development (CODE), has said it is leveraging an open-source technology known as Uzabe, to observe the 2023 elections in real-time.
The Founder/Chief Executive of CODE, Hamzat Lawal, stated this in Abuja during the launch of the organisation’s Situation Room, which is the headquarters of its election observation initiative.
According to him, CODE aims to provide real-time information for citizens and stakeholders and drive adherence to electoral guidelines across polling stations in the country.
He said, ‘‘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.
“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.”
Lawal also said that the CODE’s observation of elections in 2011, 2015, and 2019, and the recently concluded 2022 Kenyan elections paint a picture of a steady rise in the power of technology and the people had been.
He continued, “This is why we are excited to see INEC’s deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) technology which 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.”
On the security situation during the elections, CODE disclosed that it had 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.
In the same breath, Lawal said the organisation is in alliance 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.
He urged voters to cast their ballots 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,” Lawal added. -(vanguard)
A.I
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