When the idea of introducing the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) into the electoral process was first mooted by the national chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, it created a wave of mixed feelings among Nigerians. The technology, however, became the game-changer in the 2023 presidential and national assembly elections; BENJAMIN SAMSON notes.
BVAS
The Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) machine is a device used for the accreditation of voters through biometric capture, uploading of polling results and other functions.
Explaining how the device operates, an IT specialist, Maxwell Chidubem, told our reporter that: “The biometric technology was designed to verify permanent voter cards (PVCs) and enable human recognition through a biometric verification mechanism, using both fingerprint and facial recognition of voters.
“The device can also capture images of the polling unit result sheet (Form EC8A) and upload the image of the sheet on the Independent National Electoral Commission election result viewing platform (IReV). BVAS plays an important role in verifying the genuineness of voters’ cards and authenticating voters during accreditation.
“The design of the electronic device made it impossible for anyone to tamper with results uploaded to IReV via BVAS.
“With the nature of BVAS, the uploaded polling units (PUs) results cannot be manipulated. The machine was not designed to edit the photographic results uploaded and sent to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) and once sent cannot be recalled.”
Riggers nightmares
Also, a political analyst, Taiwo Adejare, the BVAS has eliminated the issue of over voting in our elections to the nearest minimum. He noted that Nigeria’s voter turn-out could have been overstated in the past, noting that the BVAS technology has exposed past flaws.
He said: “Now, with the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), multiple voting during elections now has its counter. With BVAS, registered voters will first be accredited using fingerprints and/or facial features before they’re allowed to vote.
“Once a registered voter is accredited, it’s digitally reflected on INEC’s central database, making it easy for the electoral body to track the number of actual votes in a polling unit. If the number of votes from a unit is more than the number of accredited voters, over voting occurs and the result is cancelled.
“Currently, over-voting detected by BVAS is the primary reason for the Osun State Electoral Tribunal’s ruling that nullified Senator Ademola Adeleke’s victory at the 2022 governorship polls. Delivered in late January, the ruling states that over- voting occurred in 744 polling units out of the over 3, 000 polling units in the state. With the results from those units struck out, the opponent and then-incumbent governor, Gboyega Oyetola, was declared the winner. While the Tribunal has ruled that INEC should revoke the Certificate of Return issued to Governor Adeleke, the case is under appeal at the Supreme Court.
“No matter how poorly organised the recent presidential and national assembly elections were, the truth is that technology has shown us that votes were probably inflated in several parts of the country. I am sure things will get better by the next general election.”
Upsets
Similarly, speaking with our reporter, executive-director of Election Monitoring Group, Moses Tyooda, said BVAS had returned power to the people because the device made rigging nearly impossible for politicians during the February 25 presidential and national assembly elections.
He said: “There were surprises at the 2023 polls. The bookmakers got their permutations wrong following major upsets and earthquakes that rocked the presidential and National Assembly polls on February 25. Perhaps the biggest shock can be said to be the loss in Lagos, reputed to be the stronghold of kingmaker, political godfather, and APC presidential poster boy, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to the dark horse of the election, Peter Obi.
“Similarly, the national chairman of the ruling APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, was overrun and lost his senatorial zone to the Social Democratic Party’s candidate, Ahmed Wadada. Wadada scored 96,488 votes to defeat the APC candidate, Ahmed Tukur, and emerge the winner of the Nasarawa South senatorial district election.
“In the same vein, at least seven outgoing governors failed in their attempts to cross over to Nigeria’s Senate after their two-term tenures of eight years each. A prominent member of the five aggrieved governors of the PDP, otherwise known as the G-5, Governor Samuel Ortom, lost his bid to clinch the Benue North West Senatorial District at the National Assembly. He lost to his APC counterpart in the district, Titus Zam.”
He said further; “Ortom’s comrade in the G-5, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, was humbled in his quest to win the Enugu North Senatorial District. Ugwuanyi was defeated by the Labour Party’s Okechukwu Ezea.
“A third member of the G-5, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, was equally put to the sword. Ikpeazu lost his bid to represent Abia South Senatorial District in the 10th National Assembly. He lost to a veteran lawmaker and grassroots politician, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe of the All Progressives Grand Alliance.
“In Taraba, an outgoing two-term PDP governor, Darius Ishaku, lost his senatorial ambition to his APC counterpart, David Jimkuta. On the flip side, the doors of the Senate were also shut against two APC governors, Simon Lalong of Plateau and his comrade in Cross River, Governor Ben Ayade. Lalong’s loss came to so many APC supporters as a shock. As the Director General of Tinubu-Shettima’s presidential campaign council, many have predicted that he would enjoy the privilege of being in the ruling party.
“Another APC governor, Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi state, was another casualty in his bid to represent Kebbi Central Senatorial District in the forthcoming 10th National Assembly. He lost to Senator Adamu Aliero.
“A member of the PDP, Senator Philip Aduda, who is popularly called ‘Abuja landlord,’ was roundly beaten in his fourth attempt to return to the National Assembly. Aduda, who has a larger-than-life posture similar to that of a governor in the FCT, was disgraced by a female candidate of the Labour Party, Ireti Kingibe. The irony of the humiliation was his loss to a non-indigene of Abuja. All these upsets were possible because the votes of Nigerians counted, Thanks to the BVAS.”
Identity theft
Similarly, the convener of Election Transparency Initiative, a coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs), Kato Kutep, said although the BVAS experienced some glitches, particularly with the transmission of the presidential election results, it to a large extent addressed the issue of identity theft in our elections.
She said: “With the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Authentication System (BVAS), the issue of identity theft and other election frauds were addressed during the 2023 presidential and national assembly elections.
“The days of identity theft during elections are over and only voters can determine the winner of elections in this country. There is no doubt the deployment of technology has greatly improved the conduct of elections in this country over the years, the deployment of BVAS during the 2023 presidential and national assembly elections made the difference.
“Although the BVAS experienced some glitches in the transmission of results, the conduct of credible elections is not the responsibility of INEC alone. Free, fair, credible, peaceful, all-inclusive and accountable elections are a product of concerted efforts by all stakeholders.”
Continuing, she said, “I would be the last person to suggest that the just concluded elections were perfect. But I would be the first person to suggest that we have never had it so good in the conduct of our elections. We have managed to reach our finest hour here and now. Yes, there were electronic glitches not strange to the digital age. But these could not take anything away from the conduct and success of the elections that put saboteurs and hackers to shame.
“The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System has revolutionised our elections. We have evidence today that for the first time in our national history, the ballot paper made a difference.
“Indeed, INEC may yet consider improving its technology by adopting Block-chain technology. This is a revolutionary technology that is changing the way data is stored and processed. By this method, all computers are connected without a server. But for the cost, this must be the way forward for an institution that may require such technology to maintain its reputation.”
Speaking further on BVAS, Bitson Simon, the head of the department of information and communications technology, Kogi state university, said BVAS was introduced by INEC as a solution to the inadequacies of the card readers used in previous elections.
“With BVAS, frauds perpetrated on election day were no longer possible. Election by proxy will not be possible with BVAS. Politicians who bought Permanent Voter Cards to rig the 2023 general elections were disappointed because INEC has moved very far away from the period when the Incident Form could be used for that purpose on Election Day.
“In the past, some unscrupulous politicians took advantage of the incident form used during the 2015 and 2019 elections to rig the polls using illegally procured PVCs. Unfortunately, some politicians took advantage of this waiver, bought PVCs, gave them out to their acquired voters and sent them to polling units to vote, using the incident form.
“This was one of the reasons why the commission introduced the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System for the 2023 general election. The BVAS has one significant advantage over the Smart Card Reader. It is accredited through fingerprint and facial recognition.
“So, if your fingerprint fails, certainly your face will not fail. However, if the BVAS rejects your face, it means you are not an authentic voter and will not be allowed to vote. You will be asked to leave the polling station immediately. You could also be arrested for impersonation.”
“Besides, to engender transparency, the Commission introduced the INEC Result Viewing Portal in 2020, where individual polling unit results are uploaded on Election Day. The portal was used for the Edo, Ondo, Ekiti Osun, and Anambra off-season governorship elections. At the end of voting on Election Day, after the ballots have been counted and results announced, the Presiding Officer will take a picture of the result sheet Form EC8A and upload the same to the IReV portal before departing to the collation centre. Party agents and voters will witness this activity that is backed by law.
“So, for this 2023 election, it was one genuine voter, one vote. No PVC, no voting. No accreditation by BVAS, not voting. If you try to cause trouble at the polling unit because the BVAS rejects your fingerprint and face, the security agents around will arrest and prosecute you, according to the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022. Therefore, it was clear that the election was not business as usual,” he said.
