Abuja — Election analyst, Mr. Fanimo, has called for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to push for the full legal integration of IReV and BVAS into the Electoral Act, saying this is the only way to guarantee transparency and credibility in Nigeria’s elections.
Speaking on VOP TV, Fanimo argued that the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) should not remain mere operational or administrative tools but should be backed by law, making their use compulsory in all elections.
“What we should be concerned about is removing IReV and BVAS from being mere operational tools and making them part of the Electoral Act. It should be compulsory that any election conducted without IReV and BVAS be canceled,” he said.
He noted that while the introduction of BVAS and IReV has significantly reduced manipulation and enhanced voter confidence, loopholes still exist because their use is not legally enforceable, allowing some election results to be manually altered or delayed.
“We’ve seen elections where these technologies were ignored, and results were still accepted. That must stop. Once technology is bypassed, that election should be nullified automatically,” Fanimo emphasized.
He urged the National Assembly to amend the Electoral Act to explicitly mandate the use of both tools in all future elections, noting that this will ensure accountability and restore public trust in the electoral process.
“Technology is only as strong as the law behind it. Without legal protection, we’re leaving the credibility of our elections to chance,” he added.
Observers and civic groups have similarly called for legal backing for electoral technologies, arguing that Nigeria’s democracy can only progress when transparency tools become statutory obligations, not optional practices.
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