Technology Has Ended Era of Voter Impersonation, Says Amupitan

Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, has declared that the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has effectively solved the protracted challenge of identity theft in Nigeria’s elections.

Amupitan made the declaration while speaking at the 2025 Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibitions, held recently in Abuja, organised by National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)

In his keynote address, the INEC chairman, who was represented by a National Commissioner, Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu, stated that the era of multiple voting and identity fraud was over.

Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Dayo Oketola, quoted Amupitan, in a statement, to have said BVAS signposted a milestone in the country’s democratic history, having become a “foolproof mechanism” for verification.

“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.

He added, “With the biometric safeguards now in place, voter impersonation has been effectively eliminated from our electoral system.”
Standing before a diverse audience of tech innovators, policy makers, and civil society actors, Amupitan backed his assertion with BVAS data from the recently concluded Anambra State governorship election.

According to the INEC boss, the 6,879 BVAS devices configured and deployed for the Anambra poll recorded a highly commendable performance.
He said over 99 per cent of polling unit results were uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal on Election Day.

The INEC chairman told the gathering, “These outcomes confirm that the deployment of BVAS and IReV is no longer experimental but an entrenched part of Nigeria’s electoral architecture.

“The figure announced at the polling units is the same figure visible to the public. Technology has safeguarded the vote.”

Amupitan reminded the audience that previous technologies, while innovative, lacked the “teeth” of the law, leaving the commission vulnerable to technicalities in election tribunals. He said that situation shifted with the Electoral Act 2022.

He highlighted Section 47(2) as the watershed provision that transformed digital devices from mere administrative guidelines into “statutorily protected pillars,” of the electoral system.

Amupitan explained, “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.”

The law professor, however, admitted in the keynote address that while voter impersonation and multiple voting had been largely tackled with BVAS, connectivity remained a logistical headache.

Amupitan acknowledged that while the commission’s steady deployment of technology had boosted credibility, it was by no means a cure-all. He pointed to the country’s uneven telecommunications landscape as a stubborn obstacle.

With 176,846 polling units tucked into swamps, perched on mountains, and hidden in far-flung communities, achieving real-time upload of Polling Unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal remains one of the toughest battles for transparency on Election Day.

“A tool like the BVAS is only as good as the network it runs on,” Amupitan admitted.

He stated that the commission would continue to engage the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and network providers to find ways of addressing the challenge, while actively exploring alternative technologies to bridge the gaps.

Despite the technological challenges, Amupitan sent a strong signal to the political class that there WAS no U-turn in deploying technology for elections in the country. He firmly shut the door on any suggestions of returning to manual procedures, describing the old model of manual accreditation as “vulnerable to human interference”.

“The gains we have recorded are too significant to reverse,” the INEC Chairman insisted.

He outlined a future where the Commission would not only stick with the current tech but actively upgrade it to more seamless solutions.
As the conference wrapped up, the INEC chairman reiterated that “ghost voter” practice common to Nigerian elections had become a thing of the past and the commission had no intention of looking back.

He stated, “Our mission is simple. To ensure that every eligible voter is accurately verified, every vote is properly counted, and every result is transparently shared. Technology has helped us secure these foundations of democracy.”