New Telegraph

PVC distribution ends as INEC holds mock accreditation

The Independent National electoral Commission (INEC) will conduct mock accreditation of voters for the February 25 and March 11 general elections on Saturday. Also the distribution of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs), which began last December, will finally come to an end this Sunday. The first series of elections will be held in about three weeks’ time, and INEC said technology will be deployed in conducting them.

The commission explained that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) will be used to scan the voters’ biometrics and the PVCs, as well as to upload polling unit results on INEC portal. INEC said the mock accreditation, which will hold in 436 polling units across the 36 states of the federation, and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), is to enable it test run the efficiency of the BVAS to be used in the conduct of the elections.

According to INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, 12 polling units have been designated in each state of the federation and four in Abuja, “on the equality of the country’s 109 senatorial districts for the exercise.” Prof. Yakubu stated that each of the machines had been tested in the commission’s offices nationwide to ensure its functionality, adding that “the next step is to conduct field tests across the country involving actual voters. “For this reason, and in readiness for nationwide deployment, the commission is conducting a mock accreditation of voters similar to what was done ahead of the recent Ekiti and Osun State governorship elections.”

The INEC Chairman disclosed that a total of 3,508 BIVAS machines would be used for the exercise, but assured that the machines would be reconfigured before the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections. The commission had begun distribution of PVCs on December 12, but has extended the deadline twice. The distribution would have ended on January 22, but was shifted to January 29, and later February 5. INEC had warned that the second extension “will be the last extension of the exercise.” Although there had been complaints in some states that people were frustrated from collecting their PVCs, INEC said it was encouraged by the determination of registered voters nationwide to collect their PVCs.

National Commissioner, Festus Okoye, two weeks ago, disclosed that Lagos State has achieved over 89.3 per cent of PVC collection. Okoye, who is Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, however assured that the commission would not “hesitate to consider additional measures to ensure that all citizens have ample opportunity to collect their PVCs ahead of the general election.”

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