The impact of electronic voter accreditation on the credibility of the 2015 general elections in Nigeria

This study examines the impact of the deployment of the electronic voter accreditation process on the credibility of the 2015 general elections in Nigeria. The study was considered worthwhile given the fact that the electoral process in Nigeria has throughout the history of the country been mired in controversy and crisis arising essentially from a complex set of issues such as voter impersonation and multiple voting in the election management process. Three major objectives were identified for the study viz: to determine the reliability and implications of the electronic voter accreditation system in the 2015 general elections in Nigeria. To identify the limitations and challenges associated with the introduction of the electronic voter accreditation system Nigeria's 2015 electoral process. To investigate the impact of electronic voter accreditation process on the credibility of the 2015 general election in Nigeria. The study was anchored on the liberal theory of democracy which places emphasis on the quality of the electoral process in ensuring that a state is democratic. This theory was considered appropriate due to its emphasis on the electoral process in the democratic scheme of things. The study also adopted a mixed method; that is; it is based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative data. While the quantitative data was gathered from questionnaires administered across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria, the qualitative data was gathered from the interviews with key personalities central to the issues under investigation. Furthermore, triangulation process which involved the integration of the quantitative and qualitative data was adopted in the analysis in other to provide a holistic appraisal of the issues. Evidence gathered in the course of the study resulted in the following findings: That electronic voter accreditation has no statistically significant impact on election credibility in Nigeria. The study also established that electronic voter accreditation has limitations and challenges in the electoral process of Nigeria. On the basis of this it is recommended that INEC should ensure extensive and through enlightenment on the benefits of the Electronic accreditation process in order to avoid a reoccurrence of the challenges recorded with the deployment of the technology. Key Words: Elections, Democracy, Electronic Voter Accreditation, Card Reader, Nigeria, INEC, Election Credibility