Nigeria's preparations for the 2027 general election face renewed questions over the reliability, maintenance and technological readiness of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, known as BVAS. The devices, which were central to the conduct of the 2023 elections, are now under scrutiny as the Independent National Electoral Commission works to assess their current condition ahead of the next cycle.
The concern is straightforward: BVAS machines have been in storage since the last election, and there are open questions about how many are still functional, whether they have been properly maintained, and what it will take to bring the full fleet up to standard before 2027. INEC has not yet released a comprehensive public update on the state of the devices.
This is not a small logistical detail. The BVAS was the cornerstone of INEC's push for more transparent, credible elections, handling both fingerprint and facial recognition for voter accreditation. Any widespread failure of the technology on election day would carry serious consequences for public trust in the process.
With 2027 still a few years out, there is time to course-correct, but electoral preparedness rarely benefits from a slow start. How INEC responds to these readiness questions in the coming months will signal a great deal about where Nigeria's electoral credibility is headed next.
Originally published by BusinessDay.