Title:   INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION (INEC) AND THE CONUNDRUM OF BVAS IN 2023 GENERAL ELECTIONS IN NIGERIA

Abstract
In contemporary democracies, electoral integrity is the mechanism for
accountability and good governance. The build up to the 2023 general elections
was characterized by promises of fairness and transparency that gave the
citizens and global community high hopes that there would be a credible
electoral process in the country. This was accentuated by signing of the 2022
Electoral Act into law. Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
introduced the use of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for 2023
general elections as a game changer to curb electoral malpractices experienced
in previous elections. However, there were obvious indications that INEC
negated its own rules and guidelines in the conduct of the 2023 elections with
glaring electoral dishonesty and injustice. The worrisome scenario seems to
have daunted the much-touted efficacy of the Bimodal Voters Accreditation
System (BVAS) and thus undermined electoral process in the country.
Therefore, this paper examined Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) and the Conundrum of BVAS in 2023 General Elections in Nigeria. The
study employed secondary sources and qualitative discourse analysis anchored
on technological determinism theory, as its framework of analysis. The paper
posits that electronic transmission was introduced to enhance the transparency
and integrity of the electoral processes but its negation by INEC amounts to
violation of its own rules and guidelines. The failure to post the results of the
2023 presidential election from the polling units on the INEC Result Viewing
Portal (IReV) as promised by the electoral umpire as soon as the polls closed,
questions the integrity of INEC and depicts a possible collusion in electoral
fraud by the umpire. The study found that INEC refusal to use the BVAS to transmit results in controlling electoral malpractices will increase the incidences
of voter apathy, trust deficit and democratic downturn in future elections. The
paper recommends that innovation should be fully embraced and e-voting be
incorporated into Nigeria's electoral system as a panacea for electoral frauds.
Keywords: BVAS, Election, Electoral Process, INEC, Technology.

Citations:

Publication Date: 2024-03-18