Former chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission Sam Amadi has issued a stark warning to Nigerians, declaring that the Independent National Electoral Commission’s voter registration system cannot be trusted. Speaking during a Friday interview on News Central Television, Amadi challenged the electoral body’s credibility following its controversial failure to electronically transmit election results as promised.
Central to Amadi’s criticism is the malfunctioning of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, widely known as BVAS, during the election. Many observers believe the failure was not a mere technical mishap but rather an act of internal sabotage designed to prevent the transparent transmission of results. Amadi argued that any opposition political party worth its salt should immediately prioritize subjecting INEC to an independent forensic audit to uncover the truth behind these failures.
The former regulatory chief painted a damning picture of INEC’s operational integrity. According to him, the electoral commission conducted test runs of its systems and publicly declared its readiness to electronically transmit results, only to backtrack on election day with vague claims of technical glitches. What troubles Amadi most is the absence of concrete evidence or proof to substantiate these glitch claims, leaving voters and political stakeholders in the dark about what actually transpired.
Amadi went further to suggest that having no system at all might be preferable to operating one that is vulnerable to breaches or manipulation. His comments reflect a broader crisis of confidence in Nigeria’s electoral infrastructure, particularly as the country moves toward the 2027 election cycle. Transparency in election result transmission has become a flashpoint issue, with many Nigerians viewing it as essential to ensuring free and fair elections.
The controversy surrounding BVAS and electronic transmission speaks to deeper structural problems within Nigeria’s electoral framework. While INEC has made public commitments to modernizing the voting process and introducing technological safeguards against fraud, repeated failures have eroded public trust. Opposition parties and civil society groups have long called for greater accountability and independent oversight of the commission’s operations, particularly regarding the integrity of the voter register itself.
As Nigeria approaches another electoral season, Amadi’s call for forensic audits may gain traction among political actors seeking to level the playing field. Whether INEC will submit to such scrutiny remains uncertain, but the questions raised about system integrity and transparency are unlikely to fade. For millions of Nigerian voters who depend on credible elections to exercise their democratic rights, the resolution of these technical and institutional failures will be critical in determining whether future polls can be considered legitimate.
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