The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will be deploying 5,130 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices for the Osun State governorship election, NewsSpecng learnt.
Besides, the electoral empire said it was going to double its backup machines to 1,328 from 664.
This, INEC said, is to strengthen operations on election day.
No fewer than 2,339,233 registered voters are expected to go to the polls across 3,763 polling units, 320 wards and 30 local government areas of the state on 15 August 2026.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, announced the development during an interactive session with media executives in Osogbo.
According to him, the decision followed concerns raised by political parties over the initial number of BVAS devices and lessons drawn from the mock accreditation exercise conducted earlier in the day across selected polling units in Osogbo, Oriade and other local government areas.
Describing the mock exercise as a quality assurance measure, Amupitan said it was designed to test the Commission’s technology under actual field conditions ahead of the poll.
He noted that the exercise demonstrated the reliability of the BVAS, with voter accreditation taking between 30 seconds and two minutes using either fingerprint or facial recognition.
Addressing the increase in the number of devices, the INEC Chairman said the Commission expanded BVAS deployment to adequately cover split polling units in Ife East, Irewole, Egbedore, Ede North and Osogbo local government areas.
He explained that the number of backup devices was equally doubled to guarantee swift replacement in the event of equipment malfunction, adding that technical support engineers have been assigned to every Registration Area and Ward to ensure uninterrupted accreditation throughout the election.
Amupitan expressed confidence in the Commission’s election technology, saying the successful mock accreditation confirmed the effectiveness of INEC’s safeguards against identity theft and result manipulation.
He disclosed that the Commission had completed its operational plans for the election, with 2,339,233 registered voters expected to vote across 3,763 polling units, 320 wards and 30 local government areas.
The Chairman further revealed that 14 political parties will participate in the governorship election, while training of ad hoc staff is nearing completion. He said INEC would deploy 32,000 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, recruited through its sanitised INECPRES portal, to support the exercise.
“We did not want to speak to you from an air-conditioned boardroom in Abuja or rely solely on paperwork. We went to the theatres of operation to see for ourselves how our systems are holding up,” he said.
On election security, Amupitan said the Commission had adopted a proactive strategy through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), working closely with security agencies to safeguard personnel, election materials and voters.
He warned that anyone attempting to disrupt the electoral process would face the full weight of the law.
The INEC Chairman also confirmed recent attacks on the Commission’s offices in Okuku, Odo-Otin Local Government Area, and Ife Central, where Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) were stolen.
However, he assured affected voters that the stolen PVCs could not be used to vote because the BVAS requires live biometric verification before accreditation.
He disclosed that the Commission had directed its ICT Department to reprint the stolen PVCs and ensure that affected voters would also be able to use downloadable PVCs during the election.
Amupitan reiterated INEC’s commitment to inclusive elections, announcing that assistive materials would be available for persons living with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.
According to him, polling units will be equipped with Braille ballot guides for visually impaired voters, magnifying glasses for persons with albinism and those with low vision, EC40H poster manifests for hearing-impaired voters, as well as priority voting queues for persons with disabilities, pregnant women, nursing mothers and the elderly.
He also appealed to journalists and media organisations to help combat misinformation and disinformation before and during the election, stressing that inaccurate reporting could undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
The Chairman urged the media to verify information before publication and avoid portraying isolated technical glitches as statewide failures.
Reaffirming the Commission’s neutrality, Amupitan said INEC’s responsibility is not to determine winners but to ensure that every valid vote counts and that election results accurately reflect the will of the people.