Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, has stated that Nigeria has successfully tackled the longstanding issue of voter impersonation through the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System BVAS.
He emphasised that the technology has transformed electoral accreditation by ensuring only genuine voters are recognised.
Prof. Amupitan, represented by National Commissioner May Agbamuche Mbu, explained that BVAS now functions as a foolproof mechanism against identity theft, multiple voting and other electoral malpractices. According to him, “The BVAS device has become our frontline defence against identity fraud, ensuring that only the rightful eligible voter can be accredited at the polling unit.”
Speaking at the 2025 Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibitions hosted by the National Information Technology Development Agency NITDA, he pointed to statistics from the recent Anambra Governorship election. He said all 6,879 BVAS devices deployed during the poll performed commendably, with more than 99 percent of polling unit results uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing Portal IReV on election day.
The INEC Chairman also stressed that BVAS and IReV have become firmly embedded in Nigeria’s electoral framework. He highlighted the importance of the Electoral Act 2022, particularly Section 47 2, which elevated digital tools from administrative conveniences to legally recognised instruments. “This legislative foundation ensures that our digital tools have both operational and legal legitimacy,” he noted.
Despite the progress, Prof. Amupitan admitted that network availability remains a major challenge for the Commission. With 176,846 polling units spread across riverine communities, mountainous areas and remote settlements, achieving real time uploads continues to be difficult. “A tool like the BVAS is only as good as the network it runs on,” he said.
He explained that INEC is working with the Nigeria Communications Commission NCC and telecom operators while also exploring alternative technologies to address existing connectivity gaps. However, he insisted that reverting to manual accreditation is not an option, describing such methods as vulnerable to human interference.
Reaffirming INEC’s commitment to sustaining and improving its technological innovations, Prof. Amupitan declared that the era of ghost voters was over. He said the Commission would continue to ensure that every eligible voter is accurately verified, every ballot properly counted and every result transparently displayed.
