Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the outcome of the 2023 general elections in Nigeria

Abstract

A major challenge to democratic consolidation in Nigeria has been the failure to design and operate a credible electoral process. This has necessitated series of reforms in the electoral process by the electoral management body over the years with intent to stem electoral fraud and enhance public confidence in the electoral process. In the 2023 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) introduced a gizmo, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, (BVAS) to verify Permanent Voters Card using both finger print and facial recognition of voters in the voting process.  This study assesses the impact of BVAS on the outcome of the 2023 General Elections in Nigeria. The study which is analytical relied on secondary method of data collection. Merton’s functionalist theory was adopted for the study. The outcome of content analysis adopted to analyze the data reveal that BVAS enhanced the credibility of the 2023 general elections as the outcome of the election reflected the wishes and aspirations of Nigerians. Amongst other suggestions, the paper recommends that technological solutions such as BVAS need to be complemented by conducive human environmental factors to work optimally.