the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) insists that the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) data will not be compromised, thereby allaying fears about its security.
The assurance was given earlier today by INEC’s Deputy Head of ICT, Lawrence Bayode while speaking on a Channels Television program Daily sunrise.
Bayode insisted that the system cannot be hacked on election day, although he admitted that some people might try. According to him, any possible attack on the face of BVAS has been taken care of.
All holes are tightened: According to Bayode, the electoral body has tightened every loose end to ensure that BVAS is safe. He said:
- “I want to reiterate that we have done everything to ensure that BVAS is not compromised. BVAS data will be secured. After the poll, when the data is sent to our backend server, the data in transit is ensured. By the time the data reaches our backend server, the data is secured there as well.
- “We looked at the machine, and we looked at a lot of things. As I said earlier, you cannot create such a system and not strengthen it. Whether we like it or not, people will work hard to overcome this system. But the more they try, the more they meet a brick wall.
- “I can categorically say that we are taking care of every attack vulnerability on this system. And we are also doing everything to ensure that the system is not hacked on election day. I can say again that BVAS is not will be compromised. If the fingerprints fail, it turns to the face, and if both fail, you can’t vote.”
What you need to know: Recall that INEC had previously assured Nigerians in October that it has no plans to abandon the use of BVAS and the electronic transmission of results.
The INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, said the commission is determined to deploy BVAS technology for a free, fair, credible, and transparent election.
Editing by Emmanuel Abara Benson