The Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will conduct a mock accreditation exercise on the 4th of February.
According to the Commission, the exercise is to test the efficacy of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) ahead of the Presidential and National Assembly elections on February 25.
The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this on Friday in a meeting with all the 37 Resident Electoral Commissioners in the country.
According to him, the machines used for the mock exercise will be reconfigured in preparation for the main elections.
Yakubu, who described the meeting with the resident commissioners as crucial, is using the meeting to inform the commissioners about all the arrangements the Commission has put in place for the exercise.
He also noted that the ongoing distribution of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) is one issue that the Meeting must look into.
He assured that the Commission will not hesitate to take other measures to ensure that all who registered get their PVCs.
Last BVAS Consignment Received
INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu and other top officials receive the last consignment of BVAS ahead of the 2023 General Election.
Earlier in the month, INEC confirmed it had received the last consignment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation Systems (BVAS) machines.
The National Commissioner & Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee of the Commission, Festus Okoye disclosed that the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, national commissioners, and senior officials of the Commission were at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, to receive the BVAS
Mr. Okoye also said over the last four months, several flights delivered the BVAS to the designated airports for movement to states of the Federation ahead of the elections.
With the arrival of the last flight in Abuja, the Commission has now taken delivery of the required number of the BVAS for all the polling units in the country and extra machines in line with its contingency provisions for all critical election materials, according to the INEC commissioner.
No Plans To Discard BVAS
Last year, Prof. Yakubu reassured Nigerians that there was no plan to discard the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the electronic transmission of results.
Addressing participants in Abuja at a training of master trainers on technologies for the 2023 general elections, INEC Chairman, Prof, Mahmood Yakubu, said the commission was determined to deploy the BVAS technology for the conduct of a free, fair, credible, and transparent election.
The INEC Chairman’s reassurances came amid reports of plans to distort the use of technology for the 2023 general elections.
