The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, says the efficiency of the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) is strongly tied to the quality of Nigeria’s telecommunications infrastructure.
Speaking at the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room’s Stakeholders’ Forum on elections in Abuja on Wednesday, Amupitan stressed that technology now plays a decisive role in ensuring electoral credibility.
He explained that the country must close persistent connectivity gaps that disrupt the real-time transmission of polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
“The BVAS has fundamentally redefined the electoral process, but a tool like the BVAS is only as good as the network it runs on,” Amupitan said.
He added that with over 176,000 polling units — many located in hard-to-reach areas — achieving instant upload of all results remains one of INEC’s major operational challenges.
According to him, the commission is strengthening collaboration with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and service providers, while exploring backup technologies to minimise disruptions caused by poor connectivity.
Amupitan said the steady and transparent application of technology, including BVAS and IReV, has enhanced public trust in elections by reducing manual interference and making the process more open to real-time monitoring.
However, he warned that technology alone cannot safeguard democracy or boost voter turnout.
Citing the 27 percent participation in the 2023 general election, he said voter apathy continues to weaken the credibility of electoral outcomes.
He pointed out that INEC’s strong mobilisation effort during the recent Anambra governorship election — where PVC collection climbed to 98.8 percent — demonstrates what can be achieved when civil society groups, traditional institutions and the media work collectively.
Amupitan also revealed that preparations have begun for the February 21, 2026 area council election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which is conducted directly by INEC.