INEC Chairman Hails BVAS as Game-Changer, Cites Connectivity as Main Hurdle to Real-Time Results

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has acknowledged that while the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has significantly reduced voter impersonation, poor telecommunications connectivity remains the commission’s biggest challenge in achieving real-time result uploads.

Speaking at the 2025 Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibitions in Abuja, represented by National Commissioner May Agbamuche-Mbu, Amupitan highlighted that uneven network coverage across the country continues to hinder seamless transmission of polling-unit results to the INEC Result Viewing portal. According to a statement by INEC’s Chief Press Secretary, Dayo Oketola, the chairman noted that while identity fraud and multiple voting have been largely eliminated, connectivity gaps in remote areas remain a major obstacle.

“With 176,846 polling units scattered across swamps, mountains, and far-flung communities, uploading results in real time is one of the toughest battles for transparency on election day,” Amupitan said. He stressed that BVAS effectiveness depends on reliable network coverage and assured that INEC is engaging the Nigerian Communications Commission and network providers to address these gaps while exploring alternative technological solutions.

Amupitan praised BVAS as a “foolproof mechanism” for voter verification, marking a turning point in Nigeria’s democratic process. He cited the recent Anambra governorship election, where 6,879 BVAS devices were deployed and more than 99% of polling-unit results were successfully uploaded to the Result Viewing portal.

He also highlighted the legal backing provided by the Electoral Act 2022, particularly Section 47(2), which elevated digital tools like BVAS and IReV from administrative instruments to legally protected election pillars. This, he said, has strengthened public trust and ensured that INEC can innovate with confidence, ruling out any return to manual election procedures vulnerable to manipulation.

Amupitan reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to retaining and enhancing BVAS and IReV, emphasizing that “ghost voting” has been eradicated. He concluded by stressing that technology ensures every eligible voter is verified, every vote counted, and every result transparently shared.

Since the passage of the Electoral Act 2022, BVAS and IReV have become central to Nigeria’s elections, improving biometric verification and transparency. While challenges such as connectivity gaps and occasional device malfunctions persist, INEC maintains that these systems are vital safeguards against identity fraud and manipulation, representing a significant advance over previous manual-only election processes.