Atiku Questions INEC’s Use of Android 10 on BVAS Ahead of Osun Poll

Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has raised concerns about the operating system reportedly being used on the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) ahead of Saturday’s Osun State governorship election.

Atiku’s concern followed comments by INEC’s Director of ICT, Dr Lawrence Bayode, who disclosed that the BVAS devices introduced in 2021 currently operate on Android 10.

In a statement issued by his media office, Atiku argued that Android 10 is outdated, noting that the operating system stopped receiving regular security support in 2023.

He warned that using an unsupported operating system for election technology could expose the BVAS to cybersecurity and operational vulnerabilities, potentially affecting accreditation and the transmission of polling-unit results.

The former vice-president also referenced the reported technical difficulties during the August 1 mock accreditation exercise in Osun, saying the incident raised further questions about the reliability of the system.

According to Atiku, weaknesses in the devices could create opportunities for cyberattacks, data manipulation or disruptions in the transmission of election results.

He also expressed concern over the biometric functions of BVAS, which are used for fingerprint and facial verification, warning that outdated software could affect performance and make the system more vulnerable to technical failures.

Atiku questioned why INEC had not upgraded the technology earlier, particularly given the importance of BVAS to Nigeria’s electoral process.

He called for an independent and comprehensive technical audit of the BVAS hardware and software to identify possible vulnerabilities and strengthen public confidence in the election system.

Atiku maintained that election technology should meet current security standards, especially as Nigeria prepares for the Osun governorship election and the 2027 general elections.

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