Catholic Bishops Back Real-time Transmission Of Election Results From BVAS

The President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Lucius Ugorji, on Sunday supported the real-time transmission of election results from the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.

Ugorji pleaded with the National Assembly to urgently amend the Electoral Act to make the process compulsory.

He said this at the opening session of the 2026 First Plenary Meeting of the CBCN held at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) Resource Centre in Durumi, Abuja.

Addressing bishops, clergy, government officials, and other religious leaders, Ugorji expressed deep concern over what he described as a steady erosion of public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process, reflected in declining voter turnout over the years.

He cited official statistics showing that voter turnout dropped from 69 per cent in 2003 to 23 per cent in 2023, warning that the downward trend poses a grave threat to the legitimacy of elected officials and the future of democracy in the country.

He said, “To save democracy in the country, the National Assembly should review its recent stand on electoral reform and revive the confidence of Nigerians by ensuring that the Electoral Act provides for the mandatory transmission of election results in real time from BVAS at the polling unit to the INEC Result Viewing portal at the Commission’s headquarters.”

According to him, such a provision would prevent human tampering with results and safeguard the expressed will of the electorate.

Ugorji cautioned lawmakers against passing what he described as a watered-down version of the people’s will that leaves room for manipulation.

He noted that the same National Assembly had earlier passed the 2025 Tax Act, which mandates digital filing, record-keeping, and payments nationwide, and urged consistency in legislative reforms.

“The members of the National Assembly should not allow themselves to be perceived as talking out of both sides of their mouths. The world is watching, and above all, God is watching,” he stated.

Beyond electoral reforms, the CBCN President decried Nigeria’s worsening security situation, referencing mass kidnappings and killings in parts of Kwara, Kebbi, Niger, Kaduna, and Kogi states.

He lamented intelligence and operational deficiencies within the national security architecture, calling for more proactive measures, including investment in modern surveillance technology.

He also condemned illegal mining, describing it as economic sabotage linked to the funding of banditry and terrorism. Ugorji urged the government to deploy drone technology and artificial intelligence to monitor remote mining sites and prosecute offenders and their sponsors.

On governance, he stressed that political leadership exists for the common good and must be rooted in justice, accountability, and service.

Quoting papal teachings, he warned that a state not governed according to justice risks degenerating into “a band of thieves.”

The plenary session also featured a homily by the Archbishop of Abuja, Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, during the opening Mass held at St. Gabriel’s Chaplaincy, Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria.

Preaching on the theme “Resist the Allurement of Worldly Pleasures,” Kaigama urged political leaders to shun the temptation of power without service and expressed hope that the 2027 general elections would reflect the genuine will of the people through credible use of modern electronic systems.

“We fervently hope that the 2027 elections will be different and that every single vote will count,” he said, cautioning against manipulation of the electoral process and abuse of authority in both public and private spheres.

In a keynote lecture titled “The Power of Leadership and Upscaling of the Common Good in Nigerian Spiritual and Public Spaces,” former Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, Dr. Mike Omeri Agbo, emphasized servant leadership as the pathway to national renewal.

Omeri challenged both spiritual and public leaders to prioritize character, courage, and service over personal ambition, insisting that leadership must be driven by purpose and the pursuit of the common good.

As the conference opened, Ugorji also announced that he would step down as CBCN President at the end of the plenary, thanking members for their support during his tenure.