INEC Publishes 2023 Election Report
The 2023 election report, published by the Independent Electoral Commission, highlights how technology advancements—specifically, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS)—can improve electoral integrity and lower fraud.
In a statement issued by Sam Olumekun, the chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee and National Commissioner, it was said that cutting-edge technology will allay public worries regarding the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) platform.
According to the study that was posted on its website on Friday, the Commission was able to test-run the system prior to the 2023 General Election by conducting a BVAS functioning mock accreditation exercise on election eve.
“It is important to draw attention to some key pre-2023 general election activities. First, there was the conduct of Off-Cycle, Bye-Elections and Re-run Elections between August 2019 and July 2022 to fill executive and legislative positions in 145 constituencies nationwide.
“Second, there was the challenge, from December 2019 to late 2020, of conducting some of these elections in the context of the global COVID-19 Pandemic that tasked the Commission to develop a policy on conducting elections within the prevailing atmosphere of the pandemic and develop innovations to meet the public safety exigencies in line with advisories by national and global health authorities.
“Third, several other innovations by the Commission in the 2019-2022 period peculiarly made the 2023 General Election unique. It was the first general election to be conducted after the amendment of the Electoral Act 2022. Furthermore, the Presidential and National Assembly election, for the first time in two Electoral Cycles 2010-2015 and 2015-2019, held on schedule without postponement as a result of logistics or other challenges,” the report read in part.
“In keeping with our tradition over the last four electoral cycles, and our commitment to transparency, we are pleased to announce the release of the official INEC report on the 2023 General Election,” according to the statement.
This extensive 526-page document, divided into 13 chapters and supplemented with 60 tables, 14 boxes, and 10 graphs, provides a thorough examination of the major procedures, successes, and difficulties encountered throughout the election, along with important takeaways.
The Report highlights the unprecedented diversity of party representation in the election, indicating a major advancement for democracy.
“This election saw four political parties winning gubernatorial races, seven parties winning senatorial seats, eight in federal constituencies and nine in State legislatures, illustrating a broad shift in political representation across Nigeria.” the statement read.
The report also covers additional topics such as the election system, staff hiring and training, security procedures, logistics, and inclusion initiatives.
