The month when Nigerians pick leaders who will rule the country for the next four years is here. As the Nigerian elections draw near, let us evaluate the technologies that will be made available for this process and how effective they will be.
Two years ago, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced that it would make use of technologies like the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for the 2023 general election.
During the 2023 general election, the BVAS will be the only legal device used to accredit voters. With the BVAS technology, the number of accredited voters is confirmed and must tally with the results released, thereby closing any room for voter manipulation during the election.
The effectiveness of BVAS was put to the test in the Osun state gubernatorial election conducted in July last year. The BVAS was used for the following functions during the election:
- During voter registration, the BVAS served as a voter registration device used to register voters that are eligible to vote.
- It was used to accredit voters during the election.
- It was used to upload and transmit election results on election day.
After the election, the All Progressive Congress (APC) appealed for the original copy of the BVAS report from INEC, and after getting a copy, they sent in a petition on the grounds of a double BVAS report, the original report and the synchronized BVAS report, which according to the Nigerian electoral bill, the election is allowed to generate one BVAS report.
After five months of constant legal battles, the Tribunal Court of Osun State ruled in favour of the APC candidate, sacking the PDP candidate.
It seems the BVAS is helping to validate the election and can be a powerful tool for a free and fair election, but it still has some efficiency issues to settle before the election.
What do you think about the addition of the BVAS to the 2023 Nigerian general elections? Will it help reduce electoral malpractice or have little or no effect during the elections? Let us in on your thoughts in the comments.
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