Atiku Questions Alleged Plan to Use Old BVAS Machines in Osun

With just days to the August 15 Osun State governorship election, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has reportedly raised concerns over an alleged plan to deploy outdated Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices during the poll. The allegation, treated by OGM News NG as a trusted scoop from its source, has injected another layer of political drama into an election already attracting intense attention. INEC has publicly maintained that it is ready for the election, with 2,339,233 registered voters expected across 3,763 polling units in the state.

The BVAS Question Returns to Osun

Atiku’s concern is particularly notable because BVAS has previously featured prominently in the legal and political battles surrounding Osun elections. In 2023, after the Supreme Court affirmed Governor Ademola Adeleke’s victory, Atiku himself described BVAS as a technology that had “come to stay” as a legal instrument for voter accreditation and transmission of election results.

That history makes the latest allegation politically sensitive.

If the devices used for accreditation were genuinely outdated or inadequately configured, questions could naturally arise about their reliability and whether every eligible voter would receive the same opportunity to be properly accredited. But for now, the alleged plan remains an allegation, and OGM News NG has found no public INEC confirmation that outdated BVAS machines are being deliberately prepared for deployment.

INEC has continued to project confidence ahead of the poll. The commission says it has completed key preparations, including the final voter register, logistics, technical arrangements, recruitment and other operational requirements. Its official election calendar confirms August 15, 2026, as the date for the Osun governorship election.

The irony, therefore, is that while INEC is telling Osun voters that the electoral machinery is ready to roll, political actors are asking whether the machinery is sufficiently modern to be trusted. And in Nigerian election politics, once somebody starts asking whether a machine is “old,” everybody suddenly wants to know its manufacturing date, warranty status and family history.

The central issue now is whether INEC will publicly address Atiku’s concern and provide sufficient reassurance that only properly configured and operational BVAS devices will be deployed across Osun. With election day approaching rapidly, voters and political parties will be watching closely for any clarification, while OGM News NG will continue monitoring developments surrounding the allegation and the wider conduct of the Osun election.