The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has acquired 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices to bolster hardware and software infrastructure ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at a strategic workshop organised by Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in collaboration with the commission.
The workshop had as its theme: “Strengthening Democracy Through Partnership Among Editors, Civil Society and Electoral Institutions.”
Amupitan, while speaking on the commission’s preparedness for the 2027 elections, said the acquisition of the devices was part of extensive technological refinements aimed at eliminating accreditation bypass and manual manipulation during elections.
According to him, technology remains INEC’s most potent weapon for guaranteeing that every valid vote counts and that electoral outcomes reflect the true choices of the electorate.
The INEC chairman said that the devices had undergone extensive software hardening, battery optimisation and biometric calibration for optimal performance.
“We have undergone extensive software hardening, battery optimisation and biometric calibration to prevent accreditation bypass and eliminate manual manipulation.
“We are acquiring 57,000 new BVAS for optimal performance, some of which have already arrived,” he said.
He added that building on lessons from previous elections, INEC had instituted hardware, software and cybersecurity enhancements across its technological architecture.
“Building on successful deployments in recent off-cycle elections, our enhanced eEC8A system ensures that polling unit result sheets are digitised, cryptographically authenticated and uploaded directly to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV),” he said.
Amupitan said that existing technology was also improved to eliminate collation inconsistencies.
“What we have done through this eEC8A system is that verification must take place at the polling unit so that if you cannot reconcile, the result will not even go to IReV.
“We want to ensure whatever goes to IReV, which is a public trust, will have been verified by the presiding officer and all party agents present.
“In partnership with international technology leaders, we are also integrating AI-driven anomaly detection tools to monitor database traffic and shield our public portals against cyber intrusions or unauthorised alterations,” he added.
To eliminate the perennial challenge of late arrival of polling materials, Amupitan said that INEC had commenced early procurement and delivery of non-sensitive materials to states.
“Furthermore, we have procured and begun distributing brand-new operational pick-up vehicles to the states and LGAs nationwide to navigate challenging terrains.
“This is also to help and improve on our transport logistics,” the INEC chairman said.
While expressing the commission’s zero tolerance for partisanship, administrative negligence or compromised ethics, Amupitan disclosed that the commission was working to improve staff welfare.
“To boost the operational efficiencies of our staff, we have recently introduced the Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure (EMBSS).
“This is to take INEC out of the core civil service structure, because when I took over, I discovered that INEC staff are the least paid in Nigeria.
“We have done that, and we have accompanied it with a 150 per cent increase in state offices’ operational overheads, effective from July 1, 2026. For staff welfare implementation, we are working on the cash backing to ensure immediate implementation, effective January 1, 2026,” he sid.
Amupitan also said that the commission was strengthening its operational integrity to tackle fake news, noting that the information ecosystem was facing unprecedented threats.
“Deepfakes, manipulated audio-visual content, coordinated fake news campaigns and premature declaration of unverified results are capable of inciting public unrest, threatening election officials and delegitimising valid elections.
“When fake news spreads, it does not merely damage INEC’s reputation; it attacks the democratic fabric of our nation. Combatting this danger requires editorial vigilance.
“Editors must insist on rigorous fact-checking, reject sensationalised clickbait and cross-check unverified field rumours with our official channels before hitting the publish button,” he said.
