The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, says the adoption of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has finally ended the era of voter impersonation in Nigeria’s elections.
He made the assertion at the 2025 Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibitions in Abuja on Tuesday, November 11. The event was organised by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu, a National Commissioner, represented him at the conference.
In his keynote address, Prof. Amupitan said BVAS had eliminated multiple voting and identity fraud, describing the device as a reliable verification tool.
“The BVAS device is now our frontline defence against identity theft. It ensures only eligible voters are accredited at polling units,” he said. “With its biometric safeguards, voter impersonation has been removed from our system.”
He cited data from the recent Anambra governorship election to support the Commission’s position. INEC deployed 6,879 BVAS devices for the poll. According to him, the system performed strongly, with over 99 percent of polling unit results uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal on election day.
“These results show that BVAS and IReV are now entrenched in our electoral framework. Votes announced at polling units are the same figures the public sees. Technology has protected the process,” he said.
Prof. Amupitan explained that earlier digital tools lacked legal backing, which exposed INEC to setbacks in election tribunals. He said the Electoral Act 2022, particularly Section 47(2), changed the situation by giving statutory authority to digital accreditation tools.
“This legal foundation has strengthened public trust and empowered the Commission to innovate with confidence,” he noted.
Despite the progress, the INEC Chairman admitted that network connectivity remains a major logistical barrier. Many of Nigeria’s 176,846 polling units sit in remote and hard-to-reach locations, slowing real-time transmission of results to IReV.
“A tool like BVAS is only as effective as the network supporting it,” he said. He added that INEC continues to work with the NCC and telecom operators on solutions, while also considering alternative technologies for areas with poor connectivity.
Prof. Amupitan stressed that the Commission will not return to manual accreditation, describing the old process as vulnerable to manipulation.
“The gains recorded are too important to reverse,” he said. “We will not only maintain our digital systems but improve them.”
He concluded that the longstanding issue of “ghost voters” has been eliminated and reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to transparent elections.
“Our goal is simple: verify every eligible voter accurately, count every vote properly, and share every result transparently. Technology has strengthened these pillars of our democracy,” he said.
E-signed:
Dayo Oketola
Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman
