Nnadiebube Journal of Social Sciences

This paper examined the deployment of the IReV system by the Independent National Electoral Commission and the contestation of the outcome of the 2023 presidential election in South East Nigeria. This is sequel to the backdrop of various elections conducted in Nigeria having traces of irregularities. These irregularities manifest in various forms as manipulation of voter register, double/multiple voting, ballot box snatching, outright falsification of election results, etc. The objective of the study was to determine whether the utilization of IReV accounted for contestation of the outcome of the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria. Adopting the cybernetics model of communications theory as its theoretical framework, the paper employed descriptive statistical technique and thematic analysis in analysing data sourced from the questionnaire and interview instruments. The study revealed that there is a relationship between the utilization of IReV and suspicion of election results subversion, thereby, leading to contestation of the outcome of the 2023 Presidential election in Nigeria. Against this backdrop, the study recommends that though the electoral act still has the manual process of collation and transmission of result through various levels of collation until declaration and return are made, INEC can use the provisions of the Electoral Act, Section 60 and Clause 38 of the INEC Regulations of 2022 to deploy secure systems for real-time transmission of results from polling units to central counting centres. This was the work IReV was meant to do, hence, the need to utilize legal instruments to back its full adoption.

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