THE CRISIS OF PERMANENT VOTER CARDS AND THE 2015 GENERAL ELECTIONS
EXPLORING MEASURES TO STRENGTHEN NIGERIA’S ELECTORAL DEMOCRACY
Keywords:
Permanent Voter Cards, non-participant observation of data collection, biometric voting technology, hallmark of liberal democracyAbstract
The 2015 general elections were a watershed in the history of electioneering process in Nigeria with reference to the biometric voting technology that underscored the expediency of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). Therefore, the thrust of this paper is a critical examination of the euphoria of PVCs and its causality in the Nigerian election process. This discourse argues that the process of distribution and collection of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) was immersed in organizational inadequacies which led to the disenfranchisement of over 12 million Nigerian voters in March 28, 2015 Presidential and National Assembly elections. Hence, it is established that this absurdity stems from INEC’s dysfunctionality as regards the adoption of the theory of structural functionalism. The methodology of this study is descriptive where the author adopted a documentary source and non-participant observation of data collection and, content-analyzed data and events. It thus, opines that institutional reforms, civic sensitization and advocacy are imperative in strengthening Nigeria’s electoral democracy.
