Mock accreditation: INEC says BVAS ready for FCT polls, urges parties to mobilise voters

Following the mock accreditation exercise, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared that its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) is ready for the February 21 Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

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Speaking to journalists after monitoring the exercise on Saturday, the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, who led a delegation of National Commissioners and the FCT Resident Electoral Commissioner to observe the exercise in selected polling units, including NIPOST Area 10, Garki; Government Secondary School, Wuse Zone 3; LEA Primary School, Ushafa; and Sagwari Primary School, Dutse, said the mock exercise was organised to test the commission’s preparedness and the performance of the upgraded BVAS devices ahead of the polls.

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“We don’t want to use the main election as a guinea pig. This exercise is to test our operational readiness, and our major focus is the functionality of the BVAS, which for us is a game changer,” Amupitan said.

According to him, the accreditation process was fast, taking about five seconds or less per voter, while the system also blocked attempts at double accreditation during the simulation.

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“With this technology, there is no way you can be accredited twice. There is no way you can vote twice,” he added.

The INEC boss also said non-sensitive materials had already been deployed to the six Area Councils, while electoral officials were undergoing training to ensure the smooth conduct of the election.

On concerns about possible network challenges, Amupitan explained that presiding officers had been provided with options such as personal hotspots, adding that the system would upload results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) once it detects a signal.

However, he expressed concern over the low turnout recorded during the mock exercise and called on political parties to step up voter mobilisation ahead of the election.

“It is part of INEC’s duty to do civic education, but it is not our responsibility to campaign for people. That is the responsibility of political parties,” he said.

Amupitan urged residents of the FCT to take the February 21 polls seriously, noting that participation in the process is key to strengthening democracy at the grassroots.

He also cautioned against panic over the ongoing debate in the National Assembly on the Electoral Act amendment, saying the legislative process would be concluded through proper harmonisation.

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