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2023: Nigeria’s Electoral Body, INEC To Deploy 176,846 Bimodal Voters’ Machines, Another 17,000 Back-up

2023: Nigeria’s Electoral Body, INEC To Deploy About 176,800 Bimodal Voters’ Machines, Another 17,000 Back-up
November 22, 2022

The Commission would make available 17,618 BVAS for back-up, adding that two of the devices would be provided as back-up in each of the 8,809 registration areas.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says it would deploy a total of 176, 846 of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for the February 2023 general elections.

The INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Alumni Association Annual Seminar 2022 on “Promoting electoral integrity in Nigeria: Prospects and challenges”.

Okoye also disclosed that the Commission would make available 17,618 BVAS for back-up, adding that two of the devices would be provided as back-up in each of the 8,809 registration areas.

While lamenting that commission’s platforms were always subject to attacks by political actors and faceless individuals and groups using hackers, Okoye said INEC was faced with the huge challenge of protecting its platforms and assets ahead of the 2023 elections.

He assured that INEC’s data recovery centres would be upgraded and all its platforms enhanced before the elections.

Okoye urged Nigerians to be vigilant by protecting their votes on election date.

“The Commission is firm and fixed on its resolve to conduct free, fair, transparent and inclusive elections. The Commission will continue to be open and transparent in its technological innovations because election business is public business and the public has a right to know what the Commission is doing.

“INEC will continue to gradually infuse technology in the electoral process to enhance transparency and verifiability in voter authentication and result management. The level of technological development in the country and the state of infrastructure will invariably impact on the technology the Commission can deploy.

“In this regard, the Commission will continue to make haste slowly as accuracy in result management is more important than the speed at which technology is introduced. We are confident that the BVAS and IReV will form an important pillar and component in the march towards an electoral process driven by technology to obviate malicious human interference in the electoral process.”