URGES PARTIES, AND VOTERS TO OBSERVE THE PROCESS, AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS WHERE NECESSARY AHEAD OF GOVERNORSHIP ELECTIONS
By Vincess Okushi
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it is conducting Mock Accreditation of Voters at the Commission’s Collation Centre Headquarters in Lokoja, Owerri, and Yenagoa on Thursday 12th October 2023 at 10.00 a.m.
A statement by Sam Olumekun, INEC National Commissioner & Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee on Tuesday 10th October 2023 disclosed that the mock exercise is to enable the commission to deepen its commitment to the deployment of technology for voter accreditation and result management in the forthcoming off-cycle governorship elections in the states.
Therefore, appealing to registered voters and party chairmen or representatives in the selected polling units to turn up with their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) for the exercise and possible field backs for enhanced election activities.
The Commission held its regular meeting today, Tuesday 10th October 2023, and, among other issues, reviewed preparations for the off-cycle Governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi States.
For emphasis, 16 political parties are sponsoring candidates in Bayelsa State, 17 in Imo State, and all the 18 parties in Kogi State.
In furtherance of our commitment to deepen the deployment of technology for voter accreditation and result management, the Commission has finalized preparations for mock accreditation of voters in the three States to test-run the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and upload polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
The exercise will take place simultaneously in the three States on Saturday 14th October 2023 from 8.30 am to 2.30 pm.
The list of designated polling units for each State has already been uploaded to our website and social media platforms.
Lessons learned from the exercise will be taken into consideration to ensure the seamless deployment of both the BVAS and IReV on Election Day. This is strictly a test run and not the actual election.
The forthcoming elections have a total of 1,056 862 registered voters in Bayelsa 2,419,922 in Imo and 1,932,654 in Kogi State, making a combined total of 5,409,438 registered voters for the three States.
Hence, soft copies of the completed register of voters for each State will be presented to the political parties participating in the elections as provided in the Timetable and Schedule of Activities.