Nigeria’s 2027 elections: 57,000 additional BVAS devices
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Vanguard
Nigeria’s electoral commission plans to add 57,000 BVAS devices and will allow a 24-hour postponement if a malfunction cannot be repaired or the device replaced. The rules govern disruptions during the 2027 general elections, while results from unaffected areas will continue to be compiled, Vanguard reports.
Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has acquired 57,000 additional BVAS devices for the 2027 general elections. The equipment will serve as an operational reserve at polling stations, while the batteries will be replaced to reduce power-related failures, according to INEC, as cited by Vanguard.
A localised failure of a BVAS, a biometric voter accreditation system, will not suspend voting, counting or the announcement of results at other polling stations. If the device cannot be repaired or replaced, voting may be postponed for 24 hours at the affected polling station, in accordance with the Electoral Act. INEC also plans to improve its IReV platform for publishing polling-unit result sheets and deploy RATECH technical teams to registration areas to provide on-site support.
These measures complement the commission’s plan to use artificial intelligence in the 2027 elections, announced on 21 October in an article previously published by INEC. They come as INEC is also due to consider appeals concerning excluded candidates on 24 October, a deadline announced on 13 October as part of election preparations.
