IDRIS AHMED, LOKOJA.
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has assured Nigerians that there is no going back on the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BIVAS) and the electronic transmission of results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal during the February 2023 general election and other subsequent ones in the country.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Kogi state, Dr Hale Gabriel Longpet, gave the assurance on Monday while briefing the press on the preparations and planning towards the 2023 general election at the Conference Hall of the Commission in Lokoja.
Dr. Longpet explained that there will be filling of incidence forms, even if the BIVAS fails to capture voters, assuring that all ad hoc staff and reserves will be adequately trained to handle and operate the electronic devices that are to be used during the election.
He dismissed the idea that the devices could be hacked, revealing that thousands of attempt by some un patriotic citizens to do so, failed woefully.
The Commissioner disclosed that the Commission stage in the implementation of the timetable and schedule of activities leading to the general election.
Some of the activities the Commission has successfully carried out include the distribution of some of the sensitive and non sensitive election materials, training of personnel that will be handling the newly introduced technological devices through the Electoral Act 2022.
According to the REC, various categories of staff have also been trained at National, Zonal, State and local government levels, who in turn will train the ad hoc staff who are currently being recruited.
” In a few days the Commission will be displaying the supplementary voters voter register in all the wards and local government areas of the States, to enable Nigerians who had registered to go and verify their names and actual polling units they be voting in 2023.
” In our efforts to sanitize the process of voting, INEC has to decongest some polling units and have therefore converted some polling points in to new polling units”, the REC stated.
“Despite all the efforts by Commission to ensure the success of the processes leading to a free fair and credible election, the Nigerian public and Kogi citizens have not complimented as thousands of Permanent Voter’s Card have not been collected.
” One can not hope to vote if he/she doesn’t have a PVC, the collection of PVC is central to the election of kind of leaders the people desire”. Dr Longpet explained.
He lamented further that Kogi citizens have not responded positively to INEC’s call for people to go and collect their PVC’s.
He announced that PVCs for those that registered between June 28th and July 31st will be ready this November, promising that the Commission will work very hard to improve on the process of PVC collection.
The REC also disclosed that the off cycle Governorship election in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo will hold will hold on November 11 2023 and therefore seeks the cooperation of the citizens for a smooth and successful election.
While thanking the Media and publicity agencies for their cooperation and contributions to the successes of the electoral umpire, the REC equally commended Security Agencies for the contributions to the maintenance of peace and security during elections.
