The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, has declared that identity theft and multiple voting, which have plagued Nigeria’s elections for decades, have been effectively eliminated following the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS.

Amupitan made the declaration in Abuja at the 2025 Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibitions organised by the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Dayo Oketola, the INEC Chairman said BVAS had now become a decisive tool in protecting the integrity of votes ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Represented by a National Commissioner, May Agbamuche Mbu, the INEC Chairman said the era of identity fraud in Nigeria’s elections is over, noting that BVAS has evolved into a foolproof verification mechanism at polling units across the country.

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“The BVAS device has become our frontline defence against identity fraud, ensuring that only the rightful and 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,” he stated.

He backed the claim with data from the recently concluded Anambra Governorship Election, where 6,879 BVAS devices deployed for the exercise recorded what he described as a highly commendable performance.

According to him, more than 99 percent of polling unit results were uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing portal on the same day as voting.

“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,” he said.

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Amupitan also stressed the importance of the legal backing now enjoyed by the Commission’s technological tools.

He explained that while earlier innovations lacked statutory enforcement, the Electoral Act 2022, particularly Section 47 subsection 2, transformed digital devices from administrative guidelines into what he described as statutorily protected pillars of the electoral system.

“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,” he added.

Despite the progress, the INEC Chairman admitted that connectivity gaps remain a major challenge.

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He said the country’s 176,846 polling units, many of which are located in swamps, mountains, and remote communities, make real-time transmission of results one of the most difficult tasks during elections.

He, however, ruled out any possibility of returning to manual accreditation, which he described as vulnerable to human interference and a threat to electoral credibility.

Amupitan maintained that the era of ghost voters in Nigeria is over, insisting that the Commission is committed to transparent, verifiable, and credible elections.

“The gains we have recorded are too significant to reverse. The Commission will continue to strengthen the system and upgrade to more seamless solutions in future elections,” he said.

“Our mission is simple. Every eligible voter must be accurately verified. Every vote must be properly counted. Every result must be transparently shared. Technology has helped us to secure these foundations of democracy.”

Chaos erupted at Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, National Secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday as rival factions, led by Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State on one side, and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike on the other, clashed over control of the party’s headquarters amid the ongoing leadership dispute.

According to ARISE, security operatives aligned with both the FCT minister and governors Seyi Makinde and Bala Mohammed engaged in a chaotic standoff over control of the complex, with teargas reportedly deployed around the premises by both sides.

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Governor Makinde stormed the venue alongside the newly elected National Secretary, Taofeek Arapaja, while Nyesom Wike remained with Samuel Anyanwu, the embattled National Secretary who maintains that his tenure remains valid until December 8, 2025.

Party leaders have expressed deep concern over the incident, accusing the police of failing to maintain neutrality amid the ongoing leadership crisis within the opposition party.

Factional Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has expelled Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and others.

This is coming after the two rival factions of the party clashed at the party’s headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.

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Also expelled with Makinde are the Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed and his Zamfara counterpart, Dauda Lawal.

The faction also dissolved the party executives in Oyo, Bauchi, Ekiti, Zamfara, Edo and Lagos.