Electronic Accreditation and Electoral Administration in Nigeria’s 2019 General Elections
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Abstract
Over voting, mutilation of result sheets, modification of results, and theft of vote boxes are only some of the anomalies and malpractices that have plagued the Nigerian election system. By deploying 'Biometric Smart Card Reader' technology in 2015, the Independent National Voting Commission (INEC) made a significant step toward upgrading Nigeria's electoral system. Among other ICT tools, the biometric smart card reader is a technical equipment designed to check, authenticate, and accredit electorate permanent voter cards (PVCs) in order to determine whether the card was issued by INEC and to validate the card's ownership using biometric finger scanning. The goal of using this technology is to eradicate electoral fraud and ensure Nigeria's legitimacy, transparency, and free and fair elections. The employment of this technology in the Nigerian electoral system, on the other hand, has sparked discussion among stakeholders both before and after the 2015 elections. The study investigated the influence of electronic accreditation and electoral administration in Nigeria's 2019 general elections within this context. The study was theoretically based on the cybernetics model of communications theory as an analytical tool. Using the documentary method of data collection, descriptive and historical research design, and content analysis, it was discovered that, while the use of biometric smart card readers in the 2019 presidential elections increased election credibility by eliminating the occurrence of over-voting, it also created a lot of controversies as a result of malfunctions, effectively disenfranchising the electorate. Based on the findings, it is strongly recommended that the Independent National Electoral Commission take advantage of available technology and consider the possibility of introducing electronic voting in the future using personal identification numbers (PINs) in order to improve Nigeria's free, fair, and violence-free elections.
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