The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, has affirmed that the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has effectively ended the era of voter impersonation in Nigeria’s elections.
This was disclosed in a statement issued in Tuesday in Abuja by Dayo Oketola, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman.
Amupitan made the declaration in his keynote address at the 2025 Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibitions organised by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
The Chairman was represented at the event by a National Commissioner, Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu.
He said BVAS has become a milestone in the country’s electoral evolution, describing it as a “foolproof mechanism” that has eliminated multiple voting and identity fraud.
“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,” Amupitan said. “With the biometric safeguards now in place, voter impersonation has been effectively eliminated from our electoral system.”
He backed his assertion with data from the recent Anambra Governorship election, where all 6,879 BVAS devices deployed recorded commendable performance. He added that over 99 percent of polling unit results were uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal on Election Day, demonstrating the reliability of the system.
“These outcomes confirm that the deployment of BVAS and IReV is no longer experimental but an entrenched part of Nigeria’s electoral architecture,” Oketola quoted him as saying.
He further explained that previous technologies lacked the legal backing needed to survive judicial contestation, adding that the Electoral Act 2022—particularly Section 47(2)—elevated digital devices from administrative tools to “statutorily protected pillars” of the electoral system.
“This legislative foundation ensures that our digital tools have both operational and legal legitimacy. It has strengthened public trust and enabled the Commission to innovate with confidence,” he noted.
However, Amupitan added that despite major progress, connectivity challenges remain a significant logistical concern, especially across the nation’s 176,846 polling units located in difficult terrains. Real-time transmission of results, he said, still depends heavily on network availability.
“A tool like the BVAS is only as good as the network it runs on,” the statement added, noting that INEC continues to work with the NCC and telecom operators while exploring alternative technologies.
Despite these challenges, the INEC Chairman ruled out any suggestion of returning to manual accreditation, describing the old approach as too vulnerable to manipulation.
“The gains we have recorded are too significant to reverse,” the Chairman insisted.
Amupitan reiterated that the phenomenon of “ghost voters” has been eliminated and that the Commission remains committed to safeguarding the integrity of the vote through technology.
“Our mission is simple: to ensure that every eligible voter is accurately verified, every vote properly counted, and every result transparently shared,” the INEC Chairman said. “Technology has helped us secure these foundations of democracy.”
