Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has raised concerns over the reported use of an outdated Android operating system on the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
Atiku’s concerns were disclosed by his media aide, Paul Ibe, in a Facebook post on Tuesday, following reported technical failures during the Osun State mock accreditation exercise on August 1, 2026.
The former Vice President’s concerns also followed comments reportedly made by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Director of ICT, Dr Lawrence Bayode, during an interview on Arise TV.
According to reports, Bayode stated that the BVAS devices, which were introduced into Nigeria’s electoral process in 2021, currently operate on Android version 10.
Reacting to the disclosure, Atiku argued that Android 10 had reached its end-of-life status in 2023, meaning it no longer receives regular security updates and patches from Google.
He warned that operating an election technology platform on an outdated system could expose the electoral process to cybersecurity threats, technical vulnerabilities and operational challenges, particularly as the country prepares for the 2027 elections.
Atiku also questioned why INEC, despite what he described as its substantial budget, had not upgraded the BVAS operating system ahead of the 2027 polls. He further suggested that upcoming off-cycle elections, including the Osun governorship election, could provide an opportunity for the commission to test an updated version of the technology.
The former Vice President described INEC’s handling of the reported BVAS issue as “suspicious”, expressing concern that unresolved vulnerabilities could affect public confidence and potentially undermine the credibility and integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process.
His comments have added to ongoing discussions about the reliability and security of Nigeria’s election technology as INEC prepares for the 2027 general elections.
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