The Independent National Electoral Commission has said its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) is ready for the August 15 governorship election in Osun State after a statewide mock accreditation exercise confirmed that the technology worked well and identified minor technical issues that were fixed immediately.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), made this known on Saturday at the end of a five day readiness assessment tour, saying the commission had also increased the number of BVAS machines and backup devices to support smooth accreditation on election day.
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The mock accreditation exercise formed part of INEC’s preparations for the election. It gave the commission an opportunity to test its equipment, check field operations and fix faults before voters go to the polls.
The exercise also covered logistics, security planning and engagement with major stakeholders involved in the election.
More BVAS devices prepared for election day
Amupitan said the mock accreditation was conducted in selected polling units in the three senatorial districts of the state.
He said the exercise tested the performance of the BVAS and confirmed that the commission was ready both technologically and operationally for the election.
He explained that most voters who took part in the exercise were successfully accredited through facial recognition within seconds.
He also said technical issues noticed during the exercise were quickly resolved by the commission’s ICT team before the end of the exercise.
“The mock accreditation exercise is our quality control protocol. What we saw today confirmed that our technological defence against identity theft and result manipulation is robust and fully operational,” Amupitan said.
To support the process on election day, he said INEC increased the number of BVAS devices from 4,427 to 5,130. The commission also doubled backup machines from 664 to 1,328 so faulty devices can be replaced without delay.
The INEC chairman said 2,339,233 eligible voters are expected to vote in the election. Voting will take place in 3,763 polling units located in 332 wards spread across the state’s 30 local government areas.
He also disclosed that the training of 16,374 ad hoc staff was close to completion ahead of the poll.
Security, logistics and media placed in focus
Amupitan said all 14 political parties taking part in the governorship election had signed the Peace Accord organised by the National Peace Committee.
He said the commission had prepared security arrangements through the Inter Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security. Intelligence based deployments have been planned for locations identified as flashpoints.
He also said INEC was working closely with security agencies to check vote buying and other electoral offences during the election.
As part of the readiness tour, the commission met traditional rulers, including the Ooni of Ife and the Ataoja of Osogbo. He said both monarchs pledged to encourage residents in their domains to take part peacefully in the election.
The chairman also disclosed that meetings were held with transport unions to conclude logistics plans for election day. Inspection visits to local government offices confirmed that non sensitive election materials had already been deployed before the poll.
Amupitan also appealed to journalists to support credible elections through responsible reporting.
He asked media organisations to verify information before publication and avoid spreading false reports capable of creating unnecessary panic among voters.
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