By Ezeocha Nzeh
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has pledged further improvement on the Bi-Modal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) ahead of subsequent elections in the country
The commission’s chairman, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu, said that the performance of BVAS which deployed for the Nov. 6 Anambra governorship has been reviewed, adding that the use of improved technology has come to stay in the conduct of credible elections in Nigeria
Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who stated this at the commission’s meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioner’s (REC) in Abuja, recalled that the commission piloted two important technological innovations in the state governorship election, BVAS and dedicated portals.
“The BVAS was deployed for the first time in a major election after the successful pilot in the Isoko South I state constituency in Delta, in September.
“It has replaced the Smart Card Reader for verification and authentication as part of our improved voter accreditation process.
“The new technology was designed in-house by INEC engineers. Like every new technology, glitches were observed and important lessons learnt.
“We wish to assure Nigerians that the commission has reviewed the performance of the BVAS in Anambra, and there will be a tremendous improvement leading to optimal performance in future elections.
“The BVAS has come to stay. So, too, is the uploading of polling unit results on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal in real-time on election day.
“We are convinced that the introduction of technology in voter accreditation and result management is better than the best entirely manual process.
“It also increases public confidence in the process. We will continue to deepen the use of technology in our elections,” he said.
The INEC chairman also disclosed that the commission discovered 14,665 multiple registrations in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The number, it said, was among 42,986 Nigerians who completed their Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in the FCT.
He said the multiple registrations were discovered using the new Automatic Biometric Identification System (ABIS) of the commission.
“In view of the forthcoming area council election in the FCT scheduled for Feb. 12, 2022, involving 68 constituencies to elect 6 area council chairmen and 62 councillors, the CVR exercise was suspended nine days ago, that is, 60 days to the election as required by law.
“A total of 42,986 Nigerians completed their registration in the FCT. The Commission has diligently cleaned up the data using our new ABIS to weed out multiple registrations.“As a testimony to the efficacy of our ABIS process, 14,665 (34.1 per cent) multiple registrations were detected and rejected. Consequently, the number of new valid registrants in the FCT is 28,321.
“Added to this figure are requests for transfer of registrations to FCT, replacement of lost or damaged PVC’s, and update of voter records, making an overall of 39,208 new PVC’s to be printed.“I am glad to report that all the PVC’s will be available for collection from Jan. 6 till Feb. 4, 2022. The FCT office of the commission will provide full details of the locations and procedure for the collection of the PVC’s in earnest,” Yakubu said.
He urged all new voters to use the opportunity to collect their PVC’s ahead of the deadline to avoid a rush at the last minute, which characterised such exercise in the past.
