Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has raised concerns over the reported use of an outdated Android operating system on the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), warning that the development could expose Nigeria’s electoral technology to cybersecurity and operational risks.
Atiku, who is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), raised the concerns following reported challenges during the Osun State mock accreditation exercise held on August 1, 2026.
His media office also referred to comments reportedly made by INEC Director of ICT, Dr Lawrence Bayode, who said the BVAS devices currently run on Android version 10.
According to Atiku, Android 10 reached its end-of-life status in 2023 and no longer receives regular security updates and patches.
He questioned why the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had not upgraded the system ahead of the 2027 elections, particularly with several off-cycle elections providing opportunities to test improved technology.
Atiku Raises Cybersecurity Concerns
Atiku argued that using an outdated operating system for critical election technology could create vulnerabilities that cybercriminals might exploit.
He said potential risks could include unauthorised access to devices and attempts to interfere with voter accreditation information or polling-unit results before they are transmitted.
The former vice president also raised concerns about the transmission of election results through public telecommunications networks to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
According to him, outdated security and encryption components could increase the risk of attempts to intercept, disrupt or manipulate data during transmission.
Calls for BVAS Audit
Atiku also questioned the reliability of the biometric components of BVAS, which use fingerprints and facial recognition to verify voters.
He warned that weaknesses associated with legacy software could affect the accuracy and reliability of biometric accreditation, particularly during periods of heavy usage.
The ADC presidential candidate further argued that software defects could cause devices to crash or malfunction, potentially resulting in delays at polling units.
Atiku therefore backed calls from cybersecurity experts for an independent and comprehensive audit of BVAS hardware and software before the 2027 general elections.
He described the continued use of what he considers an end-of-life operating system on critical electoral infrastructure as a potential expansion of Nigeria’s cybersecurity exposure.
However, the concerns and claims were raised by Atiku’s media office and represent his position on the issue; INEC’s technical position and any planned BVAS upgrade should be considered separately.
Source: Atiku Media Office.
