In final report, Commonwealth identifies factors that undermined Nigeria’s 2023 elections

The Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) has released a final report on Nigeria’s 2023 elections, identifying significant problems that undermined the credibility of the electoral process.

The report, published Monday, said the failure of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices and the INEC Results Viewing (IReV) portal on, and after, election day are major factors that undermined the overall credibility, transparency and inclusivity of the elections.

The introduction of additional technologies in this election raised voters’ hopes regarding the credibility and transparency of the counting and results processes, the group said, “Yet, the failures of BVAS devices and the IReV portal on and after election day highlighted the need for greater testing, training and transparency in the adoption of these technologies.”