The Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Lagos Chapter, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to finetune the process leading to the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in the forthcoming elections.

The Chairman of NCS, Mr. Olakunle Oladipupo, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos that finetuning the use of BVAS would lead to free and fair elections .

NAN reports that BVAS is an electronic device designed to read Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and authenticate voters by using their fingerprints.

Oladipupo said that to have a free and fair election leveraging BVAS, INEC should be able to address the challenges.

He said that it was sometimes assumed that biometric systems always work correctly and without failure.

According to him, in reality, biometric technologies and related matching processes cannot be expected to work with 100 per cent accuracy.

“INEC has touted the BVAS as an unbreakable system that prevents any form of electoral malpractice.

“However, like every other technology, the BVAS is not without its loopholes.

“BVAS needs updating to do that you need a quality internet access which is a major challenge as several areas, especially remote locations within the country do not have 4G network coverage,” he said.

Oladipupo said that MTN, the leading carrier in the country with 38 per cent market share, currently reports only 60 per cent 4G penetrations.

“The 2023 elections will provide Nigerians with perhaps the last opportunity to vote in good leaders who can pull back the country from the edge of the abyss.

“Its usage has also eliminated the use of incident forms during accreditation on an election day,” he said.