Sociotechnical Dynamics of Electronic Voting System Failure in Nigerian Elections: A Multi-Case Analysis

Electronic voting systems deployed in Nigerian elections have been characterised by recurring technical failures and disputed legitimacy, generating significant electoral controversy. The sociotechnical dimensions of these failures, encompassing the interactions between technology design, institutional processes, human actors, and sociopolitical context, have not been systematically analysed in the existing literature. This study develops a sociotechnical explanation of electronic voting system failure across four Nigerian electoral cycles from 2015 to 2023, focusing on the Independent National Electoral Commission's Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and the Independent National Electoral Commission Result Viewing Portal. A multi-case study methodology is employed, drawing on 95 interviews with electoral officials, political party IT representatives, civil society election observers, and technology vendors, alongside analysis of electoral tribunal judgements, incident reports, and technical post-election reviews. Findings are theorised through an original Sociotechnical Electoral System Failure Model that identifies seven failure modes organised across technical, organisational, and contextual dimensions. Critical findings include systematic underestimation of network infrastructure requirements, inadequate field testing under realistic electoral conditions, and vendor-regulator information asymmetry regarding system limitations. The model advances the literature by moving beyond pure technical failure explanations to account for institutional and political economy factors that shape how electronic voting systems are designed, deployed, and contested in Nigerian democratic processes. Keywords: electronic voting, sociotechnical systems, Nigerian elections, INEC, electoral technology failure.