By Reportcircle Abuja
In a bold defence of Nigeria’s tech-driven electoral future, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, announced that voter impersonation has been decisively eliminated from the nation’s elections courtesy of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
Speaking at the 2025 Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibitions in Abuja, organised by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the INEC Chairman represented by National Commissioner Mrs May Agbamuche-Mbu declared that the age-old scourge of multiple voting has finally met its match.
Amupitan described BVAS as a “foolproof mechanism” that has become the frontline barrier against electoral identity fraud, asserting that biometric verification now ensures only the legitimate voter is accredited at the polling unit.
“The era of impersonation is over,” he said emphatically.
The Chairman backed his claim with data from the recent Anambra governorship election, where 6,879 BVAS devices deployed across the state delivered what he called “a transformative performance.”
Over 99 percent of polling unit results were uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal on election day an achievement he said proved that the technologies are now entrenched pillars of Nigeria’s electoral system.
“The figure announced at the polling units is the same figure visible to the public. Technology has safeguarded the vote,” he told an audience of innovators, policy drivers and civil society leaders.
But Amupitan did not shy away from the challenges. While technology has wiped out identity fraud, poor telecommunications connectivity remains the Commission’s toughest operational hurdle.
With almost 177,000 polling units scattered across swamps, hills and remote communities, achieving real-time result uploads is still an uphill task.
“A tool like BVAS is only as good as the network it runs on,” he cautioned.
To address this, he said the Commission is in continuous talks with the NCC and telecom operators, while exploring alternative technologies to plug connectivity gaps that undermine election-day transparency.
Crucially, Amupitan stressed that BVAS enjoys not just operational relevance but legal backing thanks to the Electoral Act 2022.
He cited Section 47(2) as the game changer that upgraded digital tools from administrative procedures to statutory requirements, shielding them from being dismissed on technicalities during election disputes.
This legal foundation, he argued, has strengthened public trust and empowered the Commission to innovate boldly.
The INEC Chairman delivered a pointed message to the political class: there will be no reversal to manual accreditation.
“The gains we have recorded are too significant to reverse,” he said, drawing a firm line under any attempt to roll back digital safeguards.
Instead, he revealed that the Commission plans to upgrade and refine the technologies that have redefined Nigeria’s voting landscape.
As the conference drew to a close, Amupitan reiterated that the “ghost voter” phenomenon that once haunted Nigeria’s elections is gone for good.
“Our mission is simple: to ensure that every eligible voter is accurately verified, every vote counted, and every result transparently shared,” he declared.“Technology has secured the foundation of our democracy.
