By Flora Iweanya
“I arrived at my polling unit at 8 a.m. on election day, excited and ready to vote in the 2023 general elections. I had registered online, verified my details, and had all the required documents with me. The process seemed straightforward at first. I stood in line, waited my turn, and when it was finally my turn to be accredited, I approached the BVAS machine. But when I placed my finger on the scanner, nothing happened. I thought it was a fluke, so I tried again, but the machine couldn’t capture my fingerprint.
I was starting to feel frustrated, but I kept hoping it would get fixed. After over an hour of waiting and multiple attempts, I was told by the polling officials that the machine wasn’t going to work for me as there is probably an issue with my accreditation. At that point, I was asked to sign my name on the voter list, and I was manually accredited. But it felt like a compromise. How long will this continue happening, I thought? Why couldn’t something so simple as fingerprint capture be reliable? By then, it was almost noon, and so many others were still stuck in the same situation. It felt like we were all being left behind.”
This experience, shared by Ebuka Michael, a Student of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Anambra State, paints a vivid picture of the frustrations many Nigerians faced during the 2023 elections. Ebuka, like thousands of others, had registered in advance, confident that digital systems like the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) would enhance the electoral process. Instead, he was met with technical failures that forced him into a manual accreditation process, leaving him to question the reliability of the system moving forward.
Despite voting late, he was optimistic that the results will be posted real time as expected on the Integrated Results Viewing system but that too was a disappointment as some results were not posted.
“Inec need to really step up their game and improve on the use of electronic systems to make voting credible, smooth and stress free because there is this perception that the failure of BVAS machine is an intentional practice for easy rigging of elections in Nigeria.,” Ebuka said
His sentiments echo the frustration of many voters who feel that the digital systems, despite their potential, are not yet ready for widespread use.
The Introduction of Electronic Voting in Nigeria
Nigeria’s journey toward digitalizing its elections began in earnest with the introduction of biometric voter registration in 2011. This initial move was part of the effort to create a credible and transparent electoral system. However, it was not until 2015 that Nigeria took its first significant step toward electronic voting, introducing the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which enabled the biometric authentication of voters using facial recognition and fingerprints.
By 2020, INEC launched the e-Transmission of results initiative, allowing for faster and more transparent results sharing directly from polling units to INEC’s central server. The most ambitious of these technological efforts, a fully-fledged electronic voting system, had yet to be fully realized in 2023, but the introduction of BVAS and the Integrated Results Viewing (IReV) system brought Nigeria closer to digital voting than ever before.
Despite these innovations, the 2023 elections were plagued by numerous challenges that revealed the flaws in Nigeria’s emerging digital voting system. The IReV system, designed to enable real-time transmission of results from polling units to INEC’s servers, experienced significant technical failures. Many Nigerians, including Ebuka Micheal, reported difficulties accessing the IReV portal. Slow uploads, missing results, and delays in viewing electoral data raised doubts about the effectiveness of the system. Some voters also reported that the results uploaded were either incomplete or delayed for hours.
The BVAS system, intended to authenticate voters through biometric means, similarly faced technical glitches that hindered smooth accreditation.
In the 2023 general elections, Nigeria saw an increase in the number of registered voters, with the final list showing 93.5 million eligible voters. However, a significant number of these voters faced issues during the accreditation process. According to INEC, over 5.5 million registered voters were unable to cast their ballots, primarily due to technological challenges associated with the BVAS machines, IReV portal malfunctions, and delays at polling units. These issues led to disenfranchisement, leaving millions without the opportunity to vote on election day.
INEC’s Response and Next Steps
INEC has expressed its commitment to improving Nigeria’s electoral process by incorporating technology, but the challenges encountered in 2023 indicate that much work remains to be done.
INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, acknowledged that while technological strides had been made, significant improvements are necessary to ensure the systems’ reliability.
“We recognize that BVAS and IReV have proven to be instrumental in bringing transparency to the electoral process, but there are still challenges we need to address,” Yakubu said in a statement. “The technical glitches witnessed in the 2023 elections are unacceptable, and we are committed to making necessary adjustments. Our team has already begun working closely with technology partners to ensure that the BVAS machines are improved and more reliable for future elections.”
In a detailed conversation with INEC’s spokesperson, Festus Okoye, he outlined the commission’s next line of action. “INEC is committed to refining the electoral process. We are focused on ensuring that the challenges of the past elections are not repeated. This includes procuring more robust BVAS machines, carrying out more extensive testing, and improving the IReV system so that results can be transmitted in real-time without delays,” Okoye explained. “We will also be investing in additional training for polling unit staff, ensuring that they are well-prepared to handle any technological issues quickly. Our aim is to prevent voters from having to undergo manual accreditation as a substitute for digital registration.”
Okoye further emphasized that INEC would improve its collaboration with tech experts and ensure that all systems are tested well in advance of the next general elections. “The key is preparation. We cannot afford to be caught off guard again,” he stressed. “In the coming months, we will be rolling out updates to our systems and engaging in nationwide campaigns to familiarize voters with the process.”
Analysts’ Reactions: A Call for More Investment in Digital Infrastructure
Political analysts and election observers have stressed that the implementation of e-voting should not be rushed and that further investment in Nigeria’s digital infrastructure is needed to build a more reliable system.
Dr. Chijioke Okoro, a political analyst at the University of Lagos, said, “The failure of BVAS and IReV systems highlights that Nigeria’s adoption of electronic voting needs a more comprehensive strategy. The government and INEC must invest heavily in the technology, conduct thorough trials, and ensure that systems are tested under real-world conditions.”
Okoro further argued that digital voting should be part of a broader strategy to modernize Nigeria’s public sector, including voter education on using electronic systems. “It’s important that citizens are not only aware of these systems but also understand how to use them. It’s critical for trust in the process,” he added.
A fellow analyst, Dr. Titi Adebayo, also weighed in on the matter. “The deployment of digital systems in elections is crucial, but we must focus on the logistics. For e-voting to succeed, we need reliable internet connectivity, functioning biometric systems, and sufficient training for election officials. We cannot afford to have breakdowns or malfunctions that lead to disenfranchisement.”
International election observers, including those from the European Union and the United States, have largely praised Nigeria’s strides toward digitalizing elections, but they also highlighted the technical flaws. EU Election Observer Mission Chief observer, Barry Andrews, commented, “The introduction of BVAS and the IReV system was a crucial step toward transparency, but the technical difficulties experienced during the 2023 elections show that Nigeria still has much work to do in ensuring these systems work effectively across all polling units.”
Andrews noted that while the concept of e-voting is commendable, the implementation needs significant improvement to ensure that voters can access the system efficiently and that results are transmitted in real-time without disruption. “A comprehensive digital infrastructure is essential to avoid these issues in future elections,” she concluded.
In a local response, Nigerian election observer Ngozi Ibe, a member of the Civil Society Election Monitoring Group, said: “The issues we saw with BVAS and IReV are concerning. It’s clear that the technology holds great potential, but there is a lot of room for improvement. Our focus now should be on strengthening the backend of these systems to ensure smooth operations come election day. These glitches don’t just cause delays, they erode public trust, and that is something we cannot afford.”
The Way Forward: Embracing Robust Digital Public Infrastructure
As Nigeria’s electoral system continues to evolve, it is clear that embracing technology is critical to ensuring free, fair, and transparent elections. However, the glitches that marred the 2023 elections show that more investment in digital infrastructure is necessary. The failures of the BVAS and IReV systems need to be addressed with urgent improvements to ensure smooth, seamless elections in the future.
With over 93.5 million registered voters as of 2023, and an electorate that is increasingly tech-savvy, Nigeria cannot afford to delay further investment in robust electoral infrastructure. This includes better testing, improved equipment, and, perhaps most importantly, ongoing training for both voters and officials to navigate the digital systems effectively.
As INEC moves forward, it must commit to addressing the technical challenges faced in 2023, ensuring that Nigeria’s democracy becomes more inclusive, efficient, and transparent. The journey toward a fully digital electoral system may be long, but with the right investment and commitment, Nigeria’s elections can truly reflect the aspirations of its people.
This report is produced under the DPI Africa Journalism Fellowship Programme of the Media Foundation for West Africa and Co-Develop.
