The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will continue to deepen the use of technology in the conduct of elections.
INEC said the use of technology will continue especially in the electronic transmission of poll results and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
The chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, explained yesterday that the uploading of Polling Unit results on the commission’s Result Viewing (IReV) portal in real-time on Election Day, has come to stay.
Yakubu announced the dates for the conduct of party primaries ahead of Ekiti and Osun states’ governorship polls while speaking at a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs).
In Ekiti State, the primaries are to be held from January 4, 2022, to January 29, 2022, while in Osun State, they will hold from February 16, 2022, till March 12, 2022.
Explaining the development, Yakubu said: “The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) was deployed for the first time in a major election after the successful pilot in the Isoko South I State Constituency in Delta State in September this year. The BVAS has replaced the Smart Card Reader for verification and authentication as part of our improved voter accreditation process.”
“The new technology was designed in-house by INEC engineers. Like every new technology, glitches were observed and important lessons learned. We wish to assure Nigerians that the commission has reviewed the performance of the BVAS in Anambra State and there will be a tremendous improvement leading to optimal performance in future elections.
“The BVAS has come to stay. So too is the uploading of Polling Unit results on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal in real-time on Election Day. We are convinced that the introduction of technology in voter accreditation and result management is better than the best entirely manual process. It also increases public confidence in the process. We will continue to deepen the use of technology in our elections.”
