During Nigeria’s 2025 governorship elections in Ekiti State, the biometric system used to verify voters failed to recognize some individuals, especially elderly voters, raising concerns over voting access and accountability standards under the new Electoral Act.
- Biometric system failed to identify some voters, notably the elderly.
- New Electoral Act mandates biometric verification but lacks clear fallback for failed matches.
- Election observers report both high overall system performance and local voter exclusion.
What happened
In Nigeria’s June 2026 Ekiti State governorship elections, some voters were unable to pass biometric verification at polling stations despite having valid voter ID cards and showing up in person. The BVAS technology, which combines fingerprint and facial recognition, failed notably with elderly voters. At one polling unit, a 90-year-old woman was denied verification because the system could not capture her biometric data.
While overall BVAS performance was rated above 90% in multiple observation reports, inconsistencies remain. Electoral officials sometimes retry biometric authentication multiple times with no success, leading to voter exclusion. Despite the device functioning technically, eligible voters were effectively locked out due to biometric mismatches with no clearly defined remedial process.
Why it matters
Nigeria’s Electoral Act 2026 requires that voters be accredited through technological devices like BVAS before voting. The law includes procedures for certain device failures but remains vague about what happens when a device works but cannot correctly authenticate an eligible voter’s biometrics. This legal gap creates uncertainty about voter rights and election integrity.
The importance of resolving biometric failures is amplified by Nigeria’s commitment to inclusive elections that accommodate vulnerable populations. The Act mandates disaggregation of disability data and reasonable accommodations for voters with special needs. Failure to account for and transparently report biometric non-matches undermines both electoral accountability and the credibility of Nigeria’s expanding use of digital election technologies.
What to watch next
Ahead of the national elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must clarify its procedures and reporting on biometric failures. Transparency about how many registered voters are excluded due to biometric mismatches and what fallback mechanisms are in place will be critical for public trust.
Stakeholders will be closely monitoring whether the legal framework and operational guidelines evolve to address the accountability gap—specifically how the system logs failed biometric verifications and how affected voters may still cast ballots. Enhanced accommodations for persons with disabilities and vulnerable groups, as stipulated under the law, will also be a key focus area to ensure no disenfranchisement.