Reps Mandate BVAS, Real-Time Transmission of Election Results, Introduce Jail Terms for Falsification
December 18, 2025 – The House of Representatives has approved a significant amendment to the Electoral Act 2022, formally mandating the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and real-time electronic transmission of results from polling units.
The amendment replaces the smart card reader with BVAS as the primary voter accreditation tool, allowing voters to present electronic identification, including QR-coded voter cards. It also requires presiding officers to transmit election results directly to the INEC Result Viewing (IREV) portal concurrently with physical collation.
New provisions introduce strict penalties for electoral misconduct. Presiding or collation officers found guilty of declaring false results face a minimum of five years in prison, while failure to sign or stamp ballot papers or result sheets without lawful justification carries a 10-year jail term.
The changes followed a clause-by-clause review of the report on the bill by the House Committee on Electoral Matters. Deliberations on the remaining sections of the bill are expected to continue tomorrow. Once fully passed and sent to the Senate for concurrence, the legislation will require presidential assent to become law.
The reforms aim to strengthen transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s electoral process, leveraging technology to reduce the risk of result manipulation and ensure timely reporting.
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