AN INVESTIGATION ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF IREV PORTAL DURING THE 2023 GENERAL ELECTION IN NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

Globally, the most significant feature that accords any nation a democratic statute is the concept of periodic elections, as no political entity can be described as democratic if it is devoid of elections. Among other things, elections create a channel for competitiveness that allows public offices to be keenly contested for by qualified candidates with a view to rendering selfless services to the people. The populace are thus empowered by the political system to determine who represents their political and socio-economic interests in public offices (Piccolino 2016). Elections have therefore become vital tools by which the people, who constitute the electorate, periodically assess the capability and credibility of individuals who contest for leadership positions. It becomes imperative to assert that the electoral system of any given polity is a decision making process that empowers the populace to choose the most qualified leaders to administer the political, social, and economic affairs of the nation.

            According to Ikelebe (2016), due to the poor electoral system the aftermath elections are always characterized by crisis and litigation in election tribunals and courts. There is hardly any election in Nigeria where there is no complaint of election violence and malpractices. Weak electoral process always gives room for crises and the aftermath effect is weak democracy, unstable political system and illegitimate government. Thus the people’s confidence, trust and interest in participating in the choice of who they vote for and entrust their power to carry on with legitimate authority to govern them is basically eroded. The consequence of manual electoral process does not only create room for desperate politicians and corrupt election officials to manipulate election results but also create room for the installation incompetent and mediocre leaders and illegitimate government. In most nascent African democracies the failure of the election management bodies (EMB) to conduct free, fair and credible election has not only led to low voters turn out, voters apathy, loss of people’s confidence in democratic process but also mistrust towards EMB’s capacity to conduct credible free elections.

            To assuage the fear of the electorate and give elections credibility the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has since 2011 started with introduction of information technology into the election process, the introduction of Electronic Voters Register (EVR), Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) and Smart Card Reader (SCR). The passage of electoral bill into law in 2022 did not only solidify INEC legally but also empowered INEC’s usage of electronic voting (BVAS) in the conduct of elections in Nigeria. As the 2023 elections drew closer the demand for the use of electronic voting (E-Voting) heightened from the general public, civil societies, media and international community. Thus the passage of the 2022 electoral bill into law by the President Mohammed Buhari government gave INEC the legal and constitutional backing to use of Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) ande INEC Election Result Viewing Portal (IReV) (i.e. for an online portal where polling unit level results are uploaded directly from the polling unit, transmitted and published for the public) are being major sources of concerns. It is believed by the stakeholders that BVAS can reduce the excessive electoral fraud, promote credible elections and reduce voter’s apathy and promote voters participation.

            According to The Guardian Newspaper (November, 2020), INEC pursues to maintain the twin technology as a bulwark against 10 most pervasive weaknesses in Nigeria’s election result management process, namely, falsification of votes at polling units, falsification of number of accredited voters, collation of false results, mutilation of results and computational errors, swapping of results sheets, forging of results sheets, snatching and destruction of results sheets, obtaining declaration and return involuntarily, making declaration and return while result collation is still in progress and poor record-keeping. , INEC asserts that the use of the BVAS and IReV will enhance the transparency of election results and boosting public trust in electoral outcomes in the 2023 general election.

1.2 Statement of the problem

The just completed 2023 Nigerian presidential elections marked a turning point in the nation's political history by allowing a wide range of candidates to compete for federal and state legislative offices without an established incumbent in those positions. Nevertheless, following the conclusion of the presidential and National Assembly elections, questions have been raised about the performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and Election Result Viewing Portal deployed by the Independent National Electoral Commission to enhance the electoral process.  Okonji (2023) avrred that the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and Election Result Viewing Portal did not live up to expectations during the just concluded presidential and National Assembly elections. The poor performance of BVAS and IReV in their first major stress test might have cast a pall over the 2023 presidential and National Assembly elections, as some of the candidates have already headed for the court to challenge the outcome of the elections.Similarly, Oyemike (2023), stated that when BVAS first launched, it was riddled with many problems. In its first deployment in the Isoko South Constituency 1 by-election in Delta State on September 10, 2021, there were reports of presiding officers complaining about the machine’s difficulties to capture the thumbs and faces of some of the voters. It seemed INEC did not learn from this initial glitch as the presidential, and National Assembly elections of February 25, 2023, were overwhelmed by the same problems. Not only did many BVAS devices fail to capture voters, the IReV platform also did not  work in many polling units.

On the contrary, Iremeka (2023) stated that The deployment of e-voting/ may have has its shortcoming as experienced in the just concluded 2023 elections, but there seem to be hope in the horizon as many big wig politicians and political heavy lost election due to the deployment of IREV. He further noted that It is on record that for the first time, some sitting governors in the country lost elections in the manner that they did. The improvement associated with the deployment of the IREV, , was seen in Lagos where, for the first time since 1999, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu lost an election to a party considered to be small. By the same reason, a number of sitting governors failed in their attempts to become Senators in the 10th National Assembly.

Although  extant literature exist on the impact of technologies in electoral process, littke or no attention has been given to the the effectiveness of IREV portal  during the 2023 general election in Nigeria. Upon this premise the study was conducted.

1.3       Objective of the study

The objective of this study is focused on an investigation on the effectiveness of IREV portal  during the 2023 general election in Nigeria . other specific objectives includes:

i.          To find out the level at which INEC officials utilized  IREV portal  during the 2023 general election in Nigeria

ii.        To ascertain whether the establishment of  IREV portal for transmission of  2023 general election reducd  incidences of electoral malpractice.

iii.      To examine  whether the  utilization IREV portal for result transmission  had significant effect on  2023 general election in Nigeria

1.3 Research Question

i.          What is the level at which INEC officials utilized  IREV portal  during the 2023 general election in Nigeria ?

ii.        Does the establishment of  IREV portal for transmission of  2023 general election reducd  incidences of electoral malpractice?

iii.      Did  the  utilization IREV portal for result transmission  had significant effect on  2023 general election in Nigeria?

Research hypotheses

Ho:  Utilization IREV portal for result transmission  had no significant effect on  2023 general election in Nigeria.

Hi: Utilization IREV portal for result transmission  had no significant effect on  2023 general election in Nigeria.

1.6       Significance of the study

The adoption of electoral technology has sparked debate and controversy worldwide since they may boost election legitimacy and diminish public faith in elections, especially when corrupted. Most significantly, electoral technology streamline election management and reduce human intervention.  The study revealed how electoral integrity affects public faith in elections. The report highlighted electoral integrity components to INEC, Nigeria's election administration organisation, to improve public trust in elections.

Since election disputes are common in Nigeria, this study's findings will benefit INEC, voters, candidates, political parties, government, media, observation missions, development partners, and others. It might assist policymakers create laws to strengthen INEC integrity and public trust in the election process. Policymakers and stakeholders can use this study's findings to create an ICT framework for Nigeria's electoral process after the 2023 general elections. The study will empirically contribute to the broader body of knowledge and act as a reference for scholars and students interested in connected fields.

1.7       Scope of the study

The scope of the study borders on an investigation on the effectiveness of IREV portal  during the 2023 general election in Nigeria . The study further  find out the level at which INEC officials utilized  IREV portal  during the 2023 general election in Nigeria and ascertain whether the establishment of  IREV portal for transmission of  2023 general election reducd  incidences of electoral malpractice. The study is limited to Portharcout Metropolis, Rivers State.

1.8       Limitation of the study

Like in every human endeavour, the researchers encountered slight constraints while carrying out the study. The significant constraint was the scanty literature on the subject owing that it is a new discourse thus the researcher incurred more financial expenses and much time was required in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature, or information and in the process of data collection, which is why the researcher resorted to a limited choice of sample size. Additionally, the researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. However in spite of the constraint all these constraint were downplayed to give the best.

1.9 Definition of terms

IReV: is an online portal where polling unit level results are uploaded directly from the polling unit, transmitted and published for the public.

Electoral Integrity:electoral integrity is rooted in ‘international conventions and global norms, applying universally to all countries worldwide throughout the electoral cycle, including during the preelectoral period, the campaign, on polling day and on its aftermath.Such norms emphasize fundamental freedoms, democracy promotion, and human rights, without which elections cannot be classified as ‘free and fair’.

BVAS: is a technological device used to identify and accredit voters’ fingerprints and facial recognition before voting,