INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, affirmed that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines have never failed and will not fail Nigerians in the 2023 general election. Speaking in Abuja on Saturday, he assessed activities at polling units in the Federal Capital Territory where mock voter accreditation was conducted using BVAS machines. “In the two polling units we have visited so far, there is no report of failure; the machines have performed optimally, and this is the report we are receiving nationwide,” he said.
Yakubu explained that contingency arrangements are in place for election day, including spare machines to address any unlikely malfunctions promptly. He noted that the mock exercise showed it took less than 30 seconds to accredit a voter, a speed and level of authentication that INEC is observing across selected polling units nationwide. “The BVAS has never failed anywhere,” he stressed, adding that no incidents of failure have been recorded. He expressed confidence that the machines will perform optimally on February 25 and March 11, ensuring seamless accreditation and electronic transmission of results.
Regarding the Osun issue, Yakubu declined to comment, stating it is sub‑judice. He emphasized that the Commission learns from each situation to improve future processes, noting that lessons learned include the ability to transmit accreditation data. For the forthcoming general election, INEC will transmit both accreditation figures and results simultaneously, ensuring they align. A new Uniform Resource Locator on the Results Viewing Portal will allow the public to view both sets of data.
The mock exercise was organized to further test the integrity of the machines ahead of election day, especially since this is the first nationwide deployment of BVAS. INEC selected 436 polling units across the country, ensuring equal representation of states and two local governments per senatorial district. Four polling units were used in each local government area, totaling 16 polling units per state.
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