KEY POINTS

• Atiku questions INEC’s use of Android 10 on BVAS, citing cybersecurity and operational risks linked to outdated software.
• He calls for an independent BVAS hardware and software audit before the 2027 general elections.
• Conflicting claims have emerged over BVAS software versions, with earlier concerns suggesting some devices could be running Android 6 or Android 7.

Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has raised concerns over the security and reliability of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.

Atiku questioned the continued use of Android 10 on BVAS devices reportedly deployed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), arguing that the operating system is outdated and could expose critical electoral infrastructure to cybersecurity and operational risks.

His concerns followed INEC’s August 1 mock accreditation exercise in Osun State and comments reportedly made by the commission’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Dr Lawrence Bayode, during an interview on Arise Television.

According to the reported disclosure, BVAS devices being used by INEC operate on Android 10, an operating system released in 2019 and introduced into Nigeria’s electoral process from 2021.

Atiku Questions Continued Use of Legacy Software

In a statement issued by his media office, Atiku argued that Android 10 had reached its end-of-life stage in 2023 and no longer receives regular security updates.

He maintained that operating an election technology platform on software that is no longer regularly supported could create vulnerabilities that malicious actors might exploit.

Atiku questioned why INEC had not upgraded the devices despite the financial resources available to the commission and the approach of important off-cycle elections, including the August 15 Osun State governorship election.

He argued that the Osun election could provide an opportunity for INEC to test upgraded technology under real electoral conditions before deploying it nationwide during the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections.

Atiku said outdated software could potentially increase the risks associated with information stored on BVAS devices.

He raised the possibility that vulnerabilities could be exploited to gain unauthorised access to locally stored voter accreditation and polling-unit information before the data is transmitted to INEC’s central systems.

He also expressed concerns about the transmission of polling-unit information to the INEC Result Viewing Portal, known as IReV.