Senator Abdullahi Adamu, the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has raised doubt about the Independent Electoral Commission’s (INEC) capacity to employ the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for the 2023 election.
According to Mr. Adamu, the promise of real-time election results transmission may not be feasible, particularly in distant communities with poor network infrastructure.
This was revealed by the APC chairman on Wednesday during a visit by the Commonwealth Delegation to the party headquarters in Abuja.
“First, I was honoured to serve as a senator,” he said. “Our worry is how ready we are to use some of these technologies about transmission since we are taking a significant step by sending election results in real-time.
To communicate findings, Nigeria’s whole country
I’m not sure if the network covers it, but I am aware that there is no network in some areas of Abuja, and that from now until February, a significant portion of the nation would be without energy.
Because they mentioned recharging batteries, but we’ve seen instances in the past when they’ve said they can’t, INEC must firmly guarantee that they are prepared to send results as soon as they are due.
The Commonwealth group travelled to Adamu to promote a transparent, fair, and free election process for the general elections in 2023.
We are here on a pre-election assessment trip, an opportunity to meet with all key electoral players, said Lindiwe Maleleka, the delegation’s head and political consultant for the Commonwealth Secretariat.
We have communicated with members of political parties, civil society organizations, top government officials, and the media.
Regardless of your standing, this is a chance to understand how the election is being prepared.
We will present a report to the secretary general of the Commonwealth based on these viewpoints, who will then determine whether to send observers to the election on behalf of the Commonwealth secretariat.
This is why we are here: to engage with you, hear what you have to say, and help with election preparation.
“We take notice of the reforms that have been implemented in the run-up to this election, including the Electoral Act of 2022 and the new technologies that were unveiled and, in my opinion, tested in the elections in Osun and Ekiti. Because we are aware that the new changes will be implemented for the election in February, we want to hear your opinions on them as we approach the next general elections.
The usage of BVAS was first made available by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in 2021. It was created to read Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and verify voters using their fingerprints.
