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ABSTRACT
One of the key elements of a democratic process is elections. Legitimizing the power and authority of elected political leaders requires the participation of the populace in the election. It permits a rulership with the approval of the populace. In order for an election to be deemed legitimate, it must be free, fair, and credible. Since most elections in developing democracies are conducted manually, they are typically vulnerable to bribery and manipulation, which frequently results in post-election violence, crises, and protracted legal proceedings. This work will examine the dynamics of the innovation of BVAS as it affects the 2023 elections in Nigeria and how INEC can use BVAS to strengthen the electoral process and minimize post-election crisis. With the introduction of electronic voting (E-voting) and the introduction of IREV portal in transmitting election results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the general elections in Nigeria. In preparing this work Technology Advancement Theory (TAM) Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT) and e-democracy theory was analyzed, and the (IDT) theory was adopted as theoretical framework. In the course of this work qualitative research method in form of secondary literature analysis, books, related websites, newspapers, INEC sources etc, was applied as source of literature. In the final analysis we came to the conclusion that IREV was a good innovation and the usage must be sustained and improved upon by INEC. Finally, this work will not only contribute to other available literature on electronic voting but act as catalyst to further extensive research on IREV portal. The study recommends to avoid human errors INEC should make it a point of duty to hire or employ people of proven integrity as returning officers and those handling the BVAS should be given all necessary and adequate training on the use and maintenance of the equipment. The study further recommends that the Independent national electoral commission (INEC) must improve on its cyber security network to forestall future attacks on its system.
