INEC deploys 57,000 new BVAS, 100,000 vehicles, 4,000 boats

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has acquired 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices and secured more than 100,000 vehicles and 4,000 boats for the conduct of the 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at a World Press Conference and National Stakeholders’ Meeting to mark 100 days to the elections.

Amupitan said the Commission had completed nine of the 14 critical milestones in its revised timetable and was now in the final execution phase covering procurement, technology deployment, logistics, personnel training and security coordination.

He said the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) and biometric verification exercises had been concluded, raising the National Register of Voters to 103.43 million.

According to him, the three phases of the CVR added 10,772,421 voters to the register, comprising 2,611,266 in the first phase, 4,121,835 in the second and 3,867,997 in the third.

Lagos has the highest number of registered voters with 7,488,633, followed by Kano with 6,570,276 and Kaduna with 4,662,640.

The Commission will display the register nationwide from October 9 to 15 to enable voters make claims and objections, while distribution of Phase One Permanent Voter Cards to Local Government Centres will commence on October 9.

Amupitan said INEC would conduct a nationwide six-day stress test of the newly acquired BVAS devices from October 23 to 28, followed by a nationwide mock accreditation and election simulation in November.

He also disclosed that the Commission had established an Artificial Intelligence Division to support results verification, detect anomalies and strengthen the protection of its digital platforms against cyber threats, including deepfakes and unauthorised alterations.

On logistics, Amupitan described the 2027 election as the largest peacetime logistics operation in Nigeria, involving the movement of personnel and materials to 176,846 polling units across 8,838 Registration Areas.

He said INEC had renewed agreements with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), providing access to more than 100,000 vehicles and 4,000 boats.

The logistics arrangement, he said, would facilitate deployment to difficult riverine, mountainous and other remote locations across the country.

The INEC chairman said 707,384 ad hoc personnel would be engaged for each of the two election days, translating to 1,414,768 engagements for the presidential/National Assembly and governorship/State Assembly elections.

He said recruitment was already underway through the INEC Portal for Recruitment of Election Staff, which opened on September 18 and would close on November 18.

Amupitan said the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) would remain a major source of election personnel.

The Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Police Mobile Force, Alinyenu Idu, who represented the Inspector-General of Police, said security agencies had commenced operations in areas identified as potential election flashpoints.

He listed parts of Kogi, Niger, Benue and Taraba states as areas where clearance operations were ongoing.

Idu said the police would secure polling units, election materials, collation centres and other critical electoral infrastructure, assuring Nigerians that security agencies would work to provide a peaceful environment for voters.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Senator Simon Lalong, urged political parties, candidates, security agencies, the media and civil society organisations to take collective responsibility for credible elections.

He called for issue-based campaigns and responsible media reporting, warning that misinformation could undermine public confidence in the electoral process.

However, his House counterpart, Hon. Adebayo Balogun, criticised what he described as INEC’s delay in acting on certain constitutional and judicial issues.

Balogun said the House Committee had written the Commission to enforce a recent Supreme Court judgment relating to Section 74 of the Electoral Act.

He urged INEC to act swiftly on the matter.

Meanwhile, Amupitan said INEC would collaborate with the Ministry of Justice, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to establish joint financial monitoring and surveillance teams.

He said the teams would track illicit campaign spending and vote-buying, while offenders would face arrest and prosecution under the Electoral Act 2026.

With the Commission entering the final 100-day countdown, Amupitan said INEC had moved from planning to execution, assuring Nigerians that its technology, logistics, personnel and security arrangements were undergoing rigorous readiness checks ahead of the January 16 and February 6, 2027 elections.