Mock Accreditation: CDD commends INEC on functionality of BVAS

0

The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the functionality of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in the Saturday’s mock accreditation exercise.

It would be recalled that INEC, on Feb. 4, organised the exercise to test the functionality and reliability of the BVAS ahead of the Feb. 25 and March 11 general elections.

The CDD Director, Idayat Hassan, gave the commendation in a statement made available to newsmen on Monday in Abuja.

“Our observer data shows that the BVAS worked smoothly across the majority of polling units observed.

“At an average of between 30 seconds and two minutes, the BVAS accredited voters who showed up for the exercise. 

“Although CDD EAC observer data recorded isolated instances where the BVAS experienced glitches while trying to capture the finger prints and facial features of elderly voters, the device eventually used either the fingerprint or facial mode to get the details of the senior citizens. 

“Our observer data indicates that the BVAS recorded more biometric authentication through facial recognition than through fingerprint.

“In State Primary School, Otuokpoti Ward 2 located in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, observer data showed that out of the six voters accredited as at 11:40am, five were authenticated through facial recognition, while only one voter was accredited using fingerprint authentication,” she said. 

The director, however, called for urgent measures to fix some of the lapses that were observed in the Saturday’s mock accreditation exercise conducted by INEC.

Hassan said the organisation, through its Election Analysis Centre (EAC), deployed 111 field observers to monitor the mock accreditation exercise.

See also  Persons living with disability protest at NASS

“CDD deployed three (3) observers per state across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“INEC conducted the mock accreditation in one out of every 405 polling units. 

“What this fundamentally means is, for every one polling unit where the accreditation took place, there were at least 404 others left out – such a wide vacuum is already a concern. 

“As it stands,  only 436 of 176,846 polling units were covered, which is less than one percent of the area to be covered.

“Based on field observers’ data on the exercise, CDD EAC found instances of late arrival of INEC officials to their respective polling units. 

“In several cases, INEC poll officials had not arrived for commencement of the process by 11:30am, whereas they were supposed to have arrived between 8:00 and 8:30am. 

“These instances of late arrival of poll officials were documented in polling units at Community Primary School, Enugu, Ngwo, where officials arrived at 11am.

“In Kungana Special Primary School, Suntai, Taraba State, and Polling Unit 002 at Damilu Primary School, Jimeta, observer data indicated that poll officials arrived at 11:30am, three and half hours behind the scheduled time. 


“Late arrival of INEC officials was recorded in most of the 36 states and in 58% of the 111 polling units observed,” she said.

Besides, Hassan said low turnout of voters was recorded during the exercise.

She said their team observed dampened confidence of some voters over the misconception that the malfunction of the BVAS was responsible for the Election Petition Tribunal judgement, which nullified the victory of the INEC declared winner in the Osun State Governorship election of July 2022.

See also  2023: INEC disowns purported final list of candidates

“This misconception about the role of the BVAS in the nullification of earlier declared victories would have to be urgently addressed by INEC to prevent voter apathy in the actual elections, come February 25 and March 11, 2023,” she said.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here