A major development in the just concluded 2023 elections was the incorporation of new voter accreditation system that utilises digital technology tools such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System to prevent manual manipulation of figures. CHIJIOKE IREMEKA writes on the improvement of BVAS and other technologies brought to the country’s electoral processes and their potential to shape the future of Nigeria’s democracy.
The insistence by the Federal Government and INEC on conducting credible elections led to the deployment of technologies that would make manipulation impossible, including BVAS that has been described as a vaccine against vote rigging. In line with INEC’s resolve to conduct credible elections, the commission said it had taken steps to strengthen its digital assets with a view to ensuring security of all its web-based resources and technologies when there were failed attempts by fraudsters to hack into the INEC Results Viewing Portal to change the polling units-level results in the previous elections in Ekiti and Osun states.
The Guardian learnt that the Permanent Voter’s Card and the Smart Card Reader were introduced to the country’s voting process under former Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, which significantly improved the process. Among the technologies introduced by the electoral commission that improved the credibility and outcome of the 2023 general elections, though there were alleged cases of violence, voters intimidation and voters suppression,
The dashboard can also help to identify and address any potential issue or discrepancy in the results, which can help to increase the overall integrity of the election and detect electoral malpractices. Titus Zam of the APC, a former aide to Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, defeated Ortom in the race for the Benue North-West Senatorial seat. Senator Adamu Aliero of the Peoples Democratic Party was declared winner of the Kebbi Central Senatorial District election. Aliero defeated Governor Abubakar Bagudu, according to the INEC Returning Officer, Prof. Abbas Yusuf-Bazata, who announced the results in Birnin Kebbi.
“My submission is that BVAS and the earlier smart card readers are vaccines against vote rigging. Methinks that in no distance future, our electoral system will be one of the most credible, free and fair. Naturally, the credit goes to INEC. Yes, there were hitches as it is always the case in the early usage of any type of technology, there is no doubt that the card reader and its brother, BVAS, will be our saviour.