Nigeria: FCT Mock Polls - INEC Expresses Satisfaction With Bvas Performance

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed satisfaction with the performance of its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) during a mock accreditation exercise held across designated polling units in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Saturday.

Speaking during a tour of polling units in Abuja, the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, described the BVAS technology as a "game changer."

Amupitan stated that the technology has been significantly improved to ensure the integrity of the upcoming FCT Area Council elections.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the mock exercise, conducted in 289 selected polling units, was designed to test INEC's operational preparedness ahead of the main elections scheduled for Feb. 21.

Amupitan explained that the essence of the exercise was to evaluate the BVAS's performance and identify any technical challenges before election day.

"We don't want to use the main election as a test run. We are using this mock accreditation to test the functionality of the BVAS itself, as well as the improvements that have been made," he said. "So far, I am very satisfied. The BVAS has worked excellently well, taking just five seconds or less to accredit a voter."

The Chairman highlighted the system's ability to prevent electoral fraud, noting a specific test case observed during the tour.

"You can see even at this polling unit, about 11 voters have already been accredited and have voted. We also attempted to have a voter who had already cleared the system try to accredit again. The BVAS immediately flagged the individual, showing they had already been accredited," Amupitan noted.

"With this technology, there is no way you can be accredited twice. There is no way you can vote twice," he concluded. (NAN)

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