SMART CARD READER AND PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CREDIBILITY IN MAKURDI, BENUE STATE (2015 – 2023)

Abstract

This study explores the impact of the Smart Card Reader (SCR) on the credibility of presidential elections in Makurdi Local Government, Benue State, in 2015, 2019 and 2023. The research objectives are to investigate whether the adoption of a SCR machine enhances credibility and to find out if the technical challenges that accompany the use of SCRs implicated in the electoral irregularities in the Presidential election in the Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State, 2015-2023. The work made use of both the documentary and survey methods as means of data collection and time series as research design. Findings from the work show that voting at polling units this time was either equal to the accredited voters as captured by the SCR machine or less than the accredited voters, which was over 100% reduction in fraud in this area. This revealed that the adoption of the SCR reduced the rigging process by ad-hoc staff at the P-unit level who hitherto inflate figures with the use of Manual register. Also, there is a 100% reduction in double or multiple voting, which was the practice before the introduction of the SCR machine, as eligible voters were allowed to vote only once. Also, voters with fake PVCs were fished out by the SCR and prevented from voting. On the whole, our findings revealed that in all ramifications, the adoption of the SCR machine by INEC helped reduce irregularities in this election by over 95percent. In conclusion, the paper recommends that voter education and technical training for election officials should be improved, and the INEC should transmit election results in real time to ensure credibility, efficiency, and transparency in future electoral cycles.