INEC chairman: How technology ended voter impersonation in elections

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

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

The INEC chairman, who was represented by a National Commissioner, May Agbamuche-Mbu, stated that the era of multiple voting and identity fraud is over.

He noted that BVAS signposted a milestone in the nation’s democratic history, having become a ‘foolproof mechanism’ for verification.

Amupitan said: “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.

“With the biometric safeguards now in place, voter impersonation has been effectively eliminated from our electoral system.”

Amupitan backed his assertion with BVAS data from the recently concluded governorship election in Anambra State, saying 6,879 BVAS devices configured and deployed for the poll recorded a highly commendable performance.

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He added that over 99% of polling unit results were uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal on Election Day.

“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,” the INEC boss was quoted as saying in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Dayo Oketola, on Tuesday, November 18, 2025.

Amupitan acknowledged that while the commission’s steady deployment of technology has boosted credibility, it is by no means a cure-all.

“A tool like the BVAS is only as good as the network it runs on,” he stated, noting that INEC will continue to engage the NCC and network providers to find ways of addressing the challenge, while actively exploring alternative technologies to bridge the gaps.

The Star