Youth Advocacy Group Africa (YIAGA) has requested that INEC make public its report on the implementation and testing of the Bimordal Voters Accreditation System, as well as mock accreditation.
It also requests that the electoral umpire provide updates on the steps taken to address the issues raised during the BVAS testing and mock accreditation.
It calls on INEC to look into cases where the BVAS failed to authenticate voters’ biometrics despite having their names on the register.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducted a mock accreditation exercise on February 4th in 436 polling units selected from each senatorial district in the 36 states and the FCT.
Actual voters from designated polling units were invited to take part in the mock exercise, which was designed to test the robustness, efficiency, and reliability of the BVAS systems prior to national deployment.
INEC also tested the simultaneous transmission of accreditation figures and polling unit results sheets to the INEC Election Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
YIAGA Africa asserts that Data and technology will play a prominent role in Nigeria’s 2023 elections.
The electoral commission, INEC is relying on electoral technology to enhance the transparency and credibility of the election.
But YIAGA insists that INEC, must quickly address challenges recorded from the mock exercise before election day.
Tools such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and INEC Election Result Viewing portal will be deployed for the elections.
This automation of critical aspects of the election process is backed by the 2022 Electoral Act and INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines for elections.
It is expected that these electoral technologies will enhance efficiency of election day process and inspire public confidence in election outcomes.
