Atiku Compares Himself to Lincoln, Raises Alarm Over INEC’s Ageing BVAS System
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has declared that nothing will stand in the way of his 2027 presidential ambition, insisting he remains fit, healthy and ready for the race ahead.
Speaking in an interview with Jaji TV Hausa, the former Vice President brushed aside doubts about his readiness for another presidential run. He pointed to his own political history as proof that persistence pays off, recalling how he contested the Adamawa State governorship race four separate times in the past, only to see the military administration of the era cancel the elections each time. It wasn’t until his fifth attempt that he finally won, a victory that eventually paved the way for him to become Vice President of Nigeria.
Drawing a comparison to global political history, Atiku referenced former United States President Abraham Lincoln, noting that repeated electoral losses did not stop Lincoln from eventually reaching the White House. He framed his own setbacks in similar terms, describing his journey as being fit, healthy and full of energy, with nothing able to stop him.
HE Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, former Vice President and PDP Presidential Candidate
A Warning on Election Technology
Beyond his presidential ambitions, Atiku used the moment to raise a separate and pressing concern: the state of Nigeria’s election technology ahead of 2027. In a statement issued by his media office in Abuja, he warned that INEC’s continued reliance on an outdated operating system for the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) could leave the 2027 general elections vulnerable to cyberattacks and manipulation.
His warning follows technical failures recorded during a mock accreditation exercise in Osun State on August 1, which appear to have exposed cracks in the system’s reliability. Atiku also referenced comments reportedly made by INEC’s Director of ICT, Dr Lawrence Bayode, during an interview on Arise TV, where Bayode is said to have disclosed that the BVAS — first deployed in 2021 — is still running on Android version 10. According to unconfirmed reports, that version of Android stopped receiving security updates after reaching end-of-life status in 2023, raising questions about the system’s ability to withstand modern cyber threats.
Atiku described the continued use of the ageing operating system on such a critical piece of election infrastructure as posing serious cyber and operational risks, one that could undermine confidence in the electoral process if left unaddressed.
Nigeria’s electoral credibility rests heavily on the reliability of technology like the BVAS, which has become central to voter accreditation since its introduction. Any suggestion of vulnerability in the system is likely to draw scrutiny from political stakeholders, civil society groups and international observers ahead of 2027.
As the countdown to the next general election continues, both Atiku’s declaration of political intent and his warning on election technology are likely to keep him in the national conversation. Whether INEC responds with an upgrade to its BVAS infrastructure — and how the 2027 race shapes up politically — remain key questions Nigerians will be watching closely in the months ahead.
Comments
This post currently has no comments.