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From Magnus Eze, Enugu
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), yesterday, declared that the Bimodal Voter Verifications System (BVAS) has come to stay and cannot be compromised by anybody ahead the 2023 polls.
The Commission also disclosed that some people were working tooth and nail to find ways of circumventing and manipulating the electoral process.
INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner for Enugu State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Chukwu stated these at a two-day train the trainers’ workshop towards 2023 elections, organised by the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) with support from USAID and Palladium Group in Enugu.
Represented by the Head of Department, Voter Education and Publicity, Rex Achumie, the INEC boss described the Electoral Act 2022 as the major turning point in the nation’s electoral process, noting that it has empowered the Commission to adopt electronic means for both accreditation and results management.
Speaking on technology and 2023 elections, he said that the recent electoral experience actually showed that the Commission seemed to be a step ahead of those who would want to compromise the process, for the first time.
According to him, the BVAS was designed in such a way that it can work on dual basis- online/offline.
He said: “It will be important to remind us too that the conduct of the 2023 election will be technology driven. The Electoral Act 2022 has empowered INEC to deploy technology that will guarantee the delivery of free, fair, credible and inclusive election come 2023. Therefore, the use of Bimodal Voter Verifications System (BVAS) for accreditation and upload of results during the 2023 General Elections is sacrosanct.
Chairman of TMG, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, who was represented by his deputy, Mrs. Mariam Menkiti, said the Supporting Citizens Engagements towards the 2023 Election project provided them the opportunity of ensuring the electoral reforms that they had all fought for at collective and individual capacities reflected the outcome of the election.
“Our aim is to achieve the desired outcomes in improving quality of elections in Nigeria by ensuring that citizens are adequately and effectively mobilized and sensitized in order to actively participate in elections in Nigeria,” he said.
The training for TMG state coordinators was part of the Strengthening Civic Advocacy and Local Engagement (SCALE) project of USAID/Palladium.
