Amid growing concerns over Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) malfunction during Saturday’s mock accreditation, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has insisted it is fully ready for the August 15 Osun governorship election.

The Commission also declared the BVAS “robust and bulletproof,” even as it deployed 703 extra machines to forestall technical failure.

Addressing journalists in Osogbo, INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, SAN, said the mock exercise confirmed that the Commission’s technology can withstand “identity theft and results manipulation.”

“What we saw today confirms that our technological defence is robust and fully operational. We did not want to speak from an air-conditioned boardroom in Abuja. We went to the theatres of operation,” he said.

The assurance comes 48 hours after reports that BVAS machines crashed in less than 40 minutes during the mock test in some polling units across the state.

Prof Amupitan, however, maintained that the BVAS accredited voters within 30 seconds to two minutes during the exercise using fingerprint and facial recognition.

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He disclosed that 2,339,233 voters are expected to vote in 3,763 polling units across 30 local government areas, with 14 political parties in the race.

On security, the INEC boss said 11 LGAs, including Osogbo, Ede, Ife and Ila, have been marked “vulnerable” and will get enhanced deployment under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, ICCES.

He also dismissed fears over stolen PVCs, saying, “Stolen PVCs are functionally inert under our system. Without live biometric verification of the legitimate cardholder, a stolen card cannot accredit anyone,” he stated.

“The greatest threat we face is not technical failure, but the pathology of misinformation. INEC is ready. But we cannot do it alone,” he added.

Prof Amupitan described the Osun election as a “diagnostic milestone” ahead of the 2027 general elections.