BIMODAL VOTER ACCREDITATION SYSTEM (BVAS) AND CREDIBILITY OF ELECTIONS: A STUDY OF 2023 GENERAL ELECTIONS IN ENUGU STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The thrust of this paper was to examine Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and credibility of elections. However, the study focused on the 2023 general elections in Enugu state, Nigeria. The study was guided with three specific objectives; to find out how the use of bimodal voter accreditation system enhanced inclusiveness in the 2023 general elections in Enugu state; identify if the use of bimodal voter accreditation system promoted compliance with electoral laws and regulations in the 2023 general elections in Enugu state; and find out how bimodal voter accreditation system improved transparency in the 2023 general elections in Enugu state. The theory employed in the study was Cybernetic Communication theory. Analytical cross-sectional survey design was adopted. The study used both primary and secondary data. Data used in the study was analyzed using cluster mean method, on the statistical package for the social sciences. The study found among others that one of the ways the use of BVAS enhanced inclusiveness in the 2023 general elections in Enugu state was that all results belonging to candidates of political parties that participated in the election were uploaded using BVAS. The study recommended among others that transparency in the electoral process can be sustained and further enhanced using BVAS if the electoral umpire maintain consistent use of the device in the electoral process in a manner that the voters and the party agents are carried along from start to finish of election administration.