The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to upgrade the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and strengthen its deployment ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The call followed the association’s observation of the 2026 Osun State governorship election, which it described as generally peaceful and orderly despite challenges with the electronic accreditation system.
The NBA Election Working Group made the recommendations in its preliminary report on the election, signed by its chairman, Festus Okoye, and dated August 16, 2026.
According to the report, INEC officials and election materials were deployed early in several locations, while voters generally conducted themselves peacefully. Party agents were also described as responsible, with security personnel visibly present at many polling units.
The association said voting commenced between 8:30am and 9am in several polling units, while no major security incident was recorded in most of the areas monitored.
However, the performance of BVAS emerged as the major concern identified by the observers.
The NBA said some voters struggled with fingerprint and facial authentication, with elderly voters particularly affected in some polling units. It also reported delays in processing voters because of slow BVAS performance.
In Egbedore Local Government Area, one polling unit reportedly experienced a complete stoppage of the device after it had initially accredited some voters.
The association also observed that some polling units had more than 1,000 registered voters, creating additional pressure on the accreditation process. Shortages of personnel and network-related challenges were also identified as factors responsible for delays in some locations.
Despite the technical challenges, the NBA said voter participation was encouraging, particularly in parts of Ede North, Ede South and Ilesa East.
“Overall, voter participation was encouraging and reflected continued public interest in the electoral process,” the association said.
On security, the NBA reported a generally satisfactory situation, with the police, military and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps deployed at several polling units.
It, however, recorded a minor disruption in Ife South Local Government Area, which security personnel brought under control.
The observers also reported incidents of vote buying, voter inducement and other forms of electoral malpractice in some locations.
To prevent a repeat of the BVAS challenges in 2027, the NBA urged INEC to conduct a comprehensive post-election assessment of the devices and upgrade them before the next general elections.
It recommended thorough pre-election testing of BVAS, adequate deployment of devices based on the number of registered voters, stronger technical support and improved training for election officials.
The association also called for additional polling units, recommending that no polling unit should have more than 500 registered voters ahead of the 2027 elections.
It further urged INEC to provide additional equipment and personnel to polling units with slightly higher voter numbers and relocate units situated in unsuitable locations, including markets, dilapidated buildings and corridors of private residences.
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