The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, has disclosed that despite the major gains achieved through the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, poor telecommunications connectivity remains INEC’s biggest obstacle to real-time result uploads.
The INEC Chairman acknowledged that uneven network coverage across the country continues to hinder seamless transmission of polling-unit results to the INEC Result Viewing portal.
A statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Dayo Oketola, quoted him as speaking at the 2025 Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibitions in Abuja, organised by the National Information Technology Development Agency.
He was represented by a National Commissioner, May Agbamuche-Mbu.
Amupitan noted that while voter impersonation and multiple voting have been significantly curtailed, the Commission is still grappling with connectivity gaps in many parts of Nigeria.
He explained that with 176,846 polling units located in swamps, mountainous regions, and remote communities, achieving instant uploads to the IReV portal remains one of the toughest challenges for Election Day transparency.
Amupitan stressed that BVAS can only perform optimally when supported by strong network coverage, adding that INEC will continue to engage with the Nigerian Communications Commission and service providers to improve connectivity while exploring alternative technologies to close existing gaps.
Despite these challenges, the INEC Chairman maintained that the introduction of BVAS has ended the long-standing problem of identity theft during elections.
He declared to an audience of tech innovators, policymakers, and civil society groups that multiple voting and impersonation have been effectively eliminated.
Describing BVAS as a major milestone in Nigeria’s democratic evolution, he said the device now serves as INEC’s frontline defence against identity fraud, ensuring that only legitimately registered voters can be accredited at polling units.
Citing data from the recent Anambra governorship election, Amupitan said that the 6,879 BVAS devices deployed delivered highly commendable performance, with more than 99 per cent of polling-unit results uploaded to the IReV portal on Election Day.
He noted that these outcomes confirm that BVAS and IReV are now entrenched components of Nigeria’s electoral system, ensuring that the figures declared at polling units are exactly what the public sees online.
According to him, the technology has strengthened transparency and safeguarded the vote.
Amupitan also highlighted that earlier electoral technologies lacked strong legal backing, leaving INEC vulnerable during tribunal litigations.
This vulnerability, he said, was resolved with the passage of the Electoral Act 2022, which gave statutory protection to digital accreditation and result-management tools.
He pointed to Section 47(2) of the Act as a turning point, elevating technological devices from mere administrative tools to legally recognised pillars of election administration.
This, he added, has boosted public trust and empowered the Commission to innovate with greater confidence.
Sending a message to political actors, the INEC Chairman ruled out any return to manual election procedures, insisting that the gains made are too significant to reverse.
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