2019: Firm develops app to monitor elections

Kaduna based computer firm, Hephzibah Integrated Technologies Ltd, has developed an application that will help in monitoring and tracking order of activities during and voting process during the 2019 general elections.Managing Director/CEO of Hephzibah Integrated Technologies Ltd, Engineer Clement O. Obomighe disclosed this when unveiling the application at a press briefing in Kaduna.He said the application was developed to ensure that electioneering procedures as outlined by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is been observed diligently at every polling unit across the country.According to him, Our application cannot enforce the law, but can expose breach of the law, said Obomighe.He explained, that the application will make statistics on the conduct of elections very easy and instant, as it works with any android or IOS phone.Obomighe added, that his company has been seeking active ways to develop APPs to support government policies, part of which includes the conduct of free and credible elections.According to him, the application was developed from what somebody muted to us, by an observer group which approached us. But, for some reasons they chickened out and we went through sponsoring it from the scratch.We noticed that in the past, capturing activities during cities was haphazard. This app will make it well managed, well captured according to INEC order.We had developed it according to 2015 order of activities. When the new INEC chairman came and changed it, we changed it again. We then went back to the drawing board to make it flexible.Nobody knows if officials at any polling unity had omitted any activity. There is a process, if missed it should be captured by the election monitors, polling unit by polling unit.Even after the polling unit, at the collation centre there are procedures which must be followed. When procedures are not followed, it should be captured by the monitors. Not following procedures, gives room for rigging.We decided to present the APP to the public, Nigerians so they can see it. Thats why we are here today. We are not oblivious of the fact that we may be behind time ahead of the general elections, but are optimistic that it will help.On why INEC has not adopted the application, he said: the electoral commission were approached but they couldnt adopt it, because they dont know if we are sponsored by a political party or candidate. But, on the contrary, our application is not to spite INEC; we developed it to ensure credibility of the election process.We will be monitoring the data, If we notice any increase, we will increase database size, we have signed agreement with cloud storage which increases, we have paid upfront for that.Speaking on how the application would work, Obomighe said, they have set up a system that helps to generate report format.Reports produced by observers or party agents can be substantiated with evidence which can serve as forensic evidence in courts, he said adding that they decided to create definite report format.Different accurate statistical facts can be gotten from a simple query of data base. Party agents or observers presence and efforts can be monitored. The app is geo locationally locked and cant be used in another polling unit.The app has two interfaces; mobile interface and administrative interface, he informed.
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