Effect of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) on the Credibility of the 2023 General Elections in Adamawa North Senatorial District, Nigeria
Abstract
The study investigated the Effect of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System on credible elections in Adamawa North Senatorial District during the Nigerian 2023 general elections. This study used a descriptive research design, with a sample of 400 registered voters selected through a simple random sampling method across 5 local government areas. Data collected was conducted using structural questionnaire through the mobile applications (Kobo collect) while the data generate was analyze using chi-Square Goodness of fit Test. Responses indicated that BVAS improved electoral credibility (χ2 = 300.53, p < 0.001) and 73.8% of the respondents indicated that it prevented multiple voting positively. Although BVAS earned sufficient statistical reliability nationally (χ2 = 102.54, p < 0.001), 22 percent of voters had their accreditation challenged and 4 percent were unable to vote. Although, the overall effectiveness of INEC's sustainability strategies was moderate, they were statistically significant (χ2 = 40.87, p < 0.001). Furthermore, major operational challenges identified over the years were lack of network connectivity (46.3%) and inadequate power supply (23.8%), leading 51.3% of respondents to observe eligible voters turned away. The study concluded that the Bureau of Voter Assistance had a dilute effect on the overall credibility of the election overall, which is limited primarily by the problems of infrastructure and implementation. Based on problem identified, the study recommends among other things the bridge of infrastructure gaps, improving training mechanisms, and deploying the same sets of technology to conduct polls across all polling units in future elections.
Keywords
BVASelectoral credibilitytechnology reliabilityinfrastructure challengesMultiple Voting.
References
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