Long-time INEC observer argues BVAS and existing collation safeguards already protect Nigeria’s elections….
As debate continues over the newly amended Electoral Act 2026 and calls for mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results, a veteran election observer, Nelson Ekujumi, has pushed back against what he described as “misleading narratives” surrounding Nigeria’s electoral process.
In a detailed statement issued on February 22, 2026, Ekujumi said the controversy generated by some political parties, civil society organisations, professional groups and labour unions over the Electoral Act amendment — now signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu — has been fueled by misinformation.
According to him, proponents of instant or real-time electronic transmission of results have attempted to convince Nigerians that such a measure is the ultimate guarantee of transparency and public trust. He argued that this claim is inaccurate and ignores the significant technological reforms already embedded in the system.
Ekujumi, who described himself as an INEC-accredited observer of more than two decades, said the real turning point in Nigeria’s electoral integrity was not transmission of results, but the introduction of electronic accreditation devices by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He traced the evolution from the Smart Card Reader to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), describing both as “game changers” that drastically reduced over-voting, ballot stuffing and voting by proxy. According to him, before the introduction of electronic accreditation, election results in some polling units exceeded the total number of registered voters — sometimes reaching 100 to 120 percent turnout.
“With BVAS, such manipulation became practically impossible,” he stated, noting that any result where votes exceed accredited figures is automatically cancelled under the law.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s electoral history, Ekujumi referenced the 2007 general elections conducted during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and under the chairmanship of then INEC head Prof. Maurice Iwu. He recalled that former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua later publicly admitted the election that brought him to power was deeply flawed, prompting the establishment of the Justice Muhammadu Uwais-led Electoral Reform Committee.
According to Ekujumi, subsequent reforms under Prof. Attahiru Jega strengthened the electoral framework and entrenched electronic accreditation as a safeguard against fraud.
He argued that critics demanding compulsory, instant transmission are overlooking the fact that both manual and electronic transmission processes are ultimately handled by human officials and therefore cannot be described as infallible.
“The sanctity of the ballot is first protected at the point of accreditation,” he said, emphasizing that BVAS ensures the number of votes cast cannot exceed the number of accredited voters.
On the contentious issue of collation, Ekujumi dismissed claims that manipulation primarily occurs at collation centres. He explained that results are first documented at the polling unit level on Form EC8A and signed by presiding officers and party agents before being forwarded to ward, local government, state and national collation centres.
He noted that ward collation officers have the authority to review results and cancel any polling unit outcome where BVAS figures do not tally with recorded votes. He added that party agents, observers, the media and security agencies are present at various collation levels, creating multiple layers of scrutiny.
Ekujumi further disclosed that INEC deploys mathematicians and statisticians, drawn from tertiary institutions, to verify figures during collation. Any discrepancy flagged by these experts must be resolved before results are declared, he said.
He maintained that most election disputes since 1999 have centered on alleged irregularities at polling units rather than arithmetic errors during collation.
While acknowledging the importance of technological advancement, Ekujumi defended the National Assembly’s decision to allow electronic transmission where network coverage permits, alongside manual transmission as the legally recognized primary record. He described this approach as pragmatic and reflective of Nigeria’s infrastructural realities.
He warned that presenting real-time transmission as the single determinant of credible elections risks misleading the public and undermining confidence in existing safeguards.
“As we approach the 2027 general elections, reforms must be guided by facts, evidence and national interest, not emotional rhetoric,” he said.
Ekujumi urged Nigerians to remain vigilant, engage in informed debate and support continuous but realistic improvements to the electoral system, insisting that Nigeria’s democracy has evolved significantly since the introduction of electronic accreditation technology.
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