INEC Points Out Main Barrier to Instant Election Result Uploading

The main barrier to uploading election results in real time has been identified by the Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC.

Speaking at the 2025 Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibitions in Abuja, Commission Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, stated that poor telecommunications connectivity continues to be the commission’s biggest barrier to real-time result uploads, despite significant advancements made possible by the implementation of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System.

The inconsistent quality of network coverage throughout Nigeria continues to impede the smooth transmission of polling-unit results to the INEC Result Viewing page, Prof. Amupitan admitted on behalf of National Commissioner May Agbamuche-Mbu.

Dayo Oketola, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, stated in a statement on Tuesday that although multiple voting and voter impersonation have been successfully reduced, the Commission is still facing connection issues in a number of regions of the nation.

“Achieving real-time upload of Polling Unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal remains one of the most difficult battles for transparency on Election Day, with 176,846 polling units tucked into swamps, perched on mountains, and hidden in remote communities.”

Amupitan stated, “A tool like the BVAS is only as good as the network it runs on.”

He stated that INEC would keep working with network providers and the Nigerian Communications Commission to find solutions to the problem while actively looking into other technologies to fill in the gaps.

The head of INEC insisted that the long-standing issue of identity theft during Nigerian elections has been resolved with the implementation of BVAS.

Speaking to a group of tech entrepreneurs, legislators, and representatives from civil society, he proclaimed the end of identity fraud and multiple voting.

He referred to BVAS as an impenetrable method of voter verification and called it a turning point in Nigeria’s democratic history.

“The BVAS device, which guarantees that only the legitimate, eligible voter can be accredited at the polling place, has become our first line of defense against identity fraud. Voter impersonation has essentially been eradicated from our election system with the implementation of biometric measures,” he stated.