BVAS and the Credibility of 2023 Kogi State Senatorial Elections in Nigeria

Abstract

Electoral fraud has been discovered to be a serious menace and set back to the electoral procedure in Nigeria and particularly in Kogi State. Fraud in election is a serious offence punishable by law.  It decreases voters' confidence in election management bodies and thereby leads to political anarchy or electoral crisis. The focus of this article is to examine the use of BVAS and the credibility of election in 2023 Kogi State Senatorial Elections. The specific objectives are to; examine the effect of BVAS in curbing electoral malpractice in 2023 Kogi State Senatorial Election, to explore the prospects of BVAS in improving the transparency and credibility of the 2023 Senatorial Election in Kogi State and to identify the challenges associated with the implementation of BVAS in the electoral process in Kogi State. The study adopted Institutional Theory by (DiMaggio & Powell, 1983). Survey research design was adopted in this study. The population of the study was one local government each from the three Senatorial District of Kogi State which includes; Okehi, Ankpa and Lokoja and sample size of 400 was determined using Taro Yarmane techniques. The study found that the use of BVAS significantly reduces incidents of electoral malpractices in Kogi State 2023 Senatorial Election, the study also found that the use of BVAS has improve the transparency and credibility of the 2023 Kogi State Senatorial Election in Kogi State and that Technical challenges, insufficient training of election officials, and inadequate public sensitization are the major challenges associated with the implementation of BVAS in the 2023 Kogi State senatorial election in Kogi State. The study recommended that Bolster enforcement mechanisms to penalize individuals found guilty of electoral malpractice should be enforced, a system of independent auditing for BVAS data to ensure its accuracy and integrity should be introduced and Allocate resources for the development of robust technological infrastructure, particularly in remote or underserved areas.