The recently released report by the European Union (EU) titled ‘Election Observation Mission Nigeria 2023’ has drawn attention to the inadequate transparency exhibited by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) regarding the handling of data during the election process. The report raises concerns over the deletion of data from the Biometric Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines and the subsequent storage of the data on a back-end server, without clear communication from INEC regarding the specifics of the data erased and stored.

According to the EU report, the BVAS machines deployed on February 25 were reused in the same polling units on March 18, following a reconfiguration process that involved the deletion of accreditation and results data from the previous polls. The report highlights that INEC failed to provide explicit information on which data was deleted from the BVAS and what was stored on the back-end server. 

“The BVAS machines deployed on 25 February were used again in the same polling units on 18 March. Between the elections, BVAS was reconfigured, which also included the deletion of accreditation and results data from the previous polls and subsequent storing of the data on the back-end server.

“INEC did not inform clearly what data exactly were deleted from the BVAS and what exactly were stored on the back-end server,” EU stated.

This lack of clarity has raised questions about INEC’s transparency and its ability to assure relevant election stakeholders regarding the handling of data.

The EU report further accuses INEC of a lack of trust and transparency in assuring stakeholders that any data erased from the BVAS would be securely stored on a back-end server. This has exacerbated concerns over the handling of sensitive election information and has been a subject of contention raised by political parties.

During the proceedings of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) in Abuja, a digital forensic expert named Hitler Nwuala claimed that INEC intentionally deleted all the results of the BVAS. The BVAS is a machine used for voter accreditation through Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), fingerprints, or face recognition technology.

INEC had argued that the deletion and backup of data on a back-end cloud server were necessary to repurpose the BVAS machines from presidential election mode to governorship election mode. However, opposition parties, particularly the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour, have continued to voice concerns over the tampering of BVAS files at the presidential elections tribunal. These parties insist that INEC should provide more transparency about its actions. The EU report appears to align with these concerns, although the impact of INEC’s decision on the outcome of the tribunal remains unclear.

The EU’s ‘Election Observation Mission Nigeria 2023’ report sheds light on the lack of transparency exhibited by INEC regarding the handling of data during the 2023 general election. The failure to clearly communicate which data was erased from the BVAS machines and what was stored on the back-end server has raised questions about INEC’s trustworthiness and its commitment to transparency. As political parties continue to express their concerns, it remains to be seen how these issues will impact the ongoing tribunal and the overall perception of the election process in Nigeria.