INEC Deploys 703 BVAS Machines for Osun Election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the deployment of 703 additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines for the Osun governorship election scheduled for August 15. This decision follows reports of BVAS malfunctions during a recent mock accreditation exercise, where some machines failed within 40 minutes.

INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, SAN, stated that the BVAS is “robust and bulletproof,” capable of accrediting voters within 30 seconds to two minutes using fingerprint and facial recognition. A total of 2,339,233 voters are expected to participate across 3,763 polling units in 30 local government areas, with 14 political parties contesting.

Prof Amupitan also addressed security concerns, indicating that 11 local government areas, including Osogbo and Ede, are considered vulnerable and will receive enhanced security measures. He emphasized that stolen Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) are ineffective without biometric verification and highlighted misinformation as a significant threat to the election's integrity.

He described the Osun election as a “diagnostic milestone” for the upcoming 2027 general elections.