Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), said it has deployed the bimodal voter automated system (BVAS) to 30 states.
Disclosing this during a workshop on election reporting organised by the Cable Newspaper Journalism Foundation, , national commissioner for information at INEC, Festus Okoye said no amount of protest can stop the usage of BIVAS in next year’s election.
BVAS is a device introduced by INEC for the accreditation of voters through biometrics capturing, uploading of polling results and other functions.
It has been described by stakeholders as a game-changer in the country’s electoral process.
But some political parties and politicians have constantly criticised the device, expressing fears on its effectiveness for the 2023 general elections.
In his reaction, Okoye said the use of BVAS is stipulated in the Electoral Act 2022, adding that it will be deployed to all states of the federation before the end of December.
“I have said it and I want to repeat it, even if you protest from now till tomorrow against the BVAS the commission must deploy it,” Okoye said.
“I was in Lagos with the chairman last week and we went to the international wing of the airport, where the Nigerian Airforce were loading the BVAS meant for the states in the federation.
“As of today, we have already delivered to location BVAS for the conduct of elections for 30 states.
“Before the end of December, the BVAS for the conduct of elections for all the states of Nigeria will be where we want them to be.”
