Nigerians reply to the video of Mahmood Yakubu saying that BVAS and the IREV Portal should be applied earlier

Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), was shown in a video saying that the commission wouldn’t change its mind about using the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for the general elections in 2023. The BVAS and IREV were not deployed as promised, hence the reality on the ground was very different.

Given that the use of technology in the voting process was viewed as a positive move towards openness and accountability, many Nigerians were dismayed by this turn of events. Particularly the BVAS, which combines both the conventional manual approach and an electronic system for validating voters’ identities, was intended to speed up and improve the certification process……. Continue Reading

The commission’s preparation for the elections was questioned as a result of the inability to implement these technology, along with worries about the possibility of fraud and manipulation. Several Nigerians expressed their dissatisfaction and displeasure with the commission’s handling of the matter on social media.

Because the INEC Chairman had broken his commitment to use the BVAS and IREV, some Nigerians demanded his resignation. Others questioned why there were no backups or contingencies in place and criticized the commission’s handling of the hacking event that caused the BVAS system to fail.

The integrity and transparency of the general elections in 2023 have generally been seriously questioned as a result of the failure to use the BVAS and IREV. Many Nigerians believe that the use of technology in the electoral process is crucial for maintaining free and fair elections, and the commission’s dedication to this purpose is called into doubt if it doesn’t employ it.

The commission’s inability to fulfill its commitment has been made clear by the video of the INEC Chairman promising to deploy the BVAS and IREV. Nigerians’ dissatisfaction and irritation are understandable, thus the commission must take action to regain their trust in the election process. This may be done by making sure the BVAS and IREV are used in subsequent elections and by putting in place reliable backup and contingency procedures to avoid such failures in the future.

Here are comments made by Nigerians……. Continue Reading