The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan has revealed that the commission has acquired 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) ahead of the 2027 general election.
Amupitan disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at the Strategic Workshop for Editors organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in collaboration with INEC, with the theme; “Strengthening Democracy Through Partnership Among Editors, Civil Society and Electoral Institutions.”
He stated: “The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices have undergone extensive software hardening, battery optimisation, and biometric calibration to prevent accreditation bypass and eliminate manual manipulation. We have acquired 57,000 new BVAS for optimal performance,” he said.
Amupitan pointed out that the enhanced eEC8A system would ensure polling unit results are digitised and uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) from polling units.
On vote-buying, he said INEC is working with the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) and Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to deploy joint financial monitoring teams and undercover surveillance at polling units.
The chairman added: “The integrity of the ballot box is fatally compromised when a citizen’s vote is treated as a commodity for sale. The Commission is taking an uncompromising stance against vote-buying in all its forms ahead of the 2027 General Election.
“Working through a strengthened coalition with the Federal ministry of Justice, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), joint financial monitoring teams will be deployed to track illegal campaign spending and conduct undercover surveillance at polling units nationwide.
“To the political actors and their agents: attempt to trade cash or material gifts for votes, and you will face immediate arrest and prosecution under the Electoral Act 2026. Elections must be decided by the conviction of the voter, not the depth of a candidate’s pocket.”