Bimodal Voter Accreditation System
The All Progressives Congress has announced that it will abide by the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission to postpone the governorship and State House of Assembly elections earlier slated for this Saturday to March 18.
A statement issued Thursday by the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, however urged INEC to do everything within its power to preserve and protect the integrity of the extracted data from the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System as it had committed to do before court.
The development is coming barely 24 hours after INEC rescheduled the planned governorship and state House of Assembly elections earlier slated for March 11 to reconfigure the BVAS machines.
The move was made possible after the Presidential Election Petition Court sitting at the Court of Appeal in Abuja granted the commission’s request to reconfigure the BVAS that were used for the presidential poll.
The court had, in a unanimous decision by a three-member panel of justices, dismissed objections by the LP and held that preventing the electoral umpire from reconfiguring the BVAS would adversely affect the forthcoming governorship and State Assembly elections.
Morka said, “While noting its reassurance that data from the presidential and National Assembly elections will be properly backed up on its cloud facilities, we urge INEC to do everything within its power to preserve and protect the integrity of the extracted data from BVAS as it has committed to do before court.
“Further, we enjoin INEC to use the opportunity presented by the election postponement to address any gaps or hitches identified in the presidential election in order to avoid a reoccurrence in the March 18, election.
“Even as presidential candidates and their political parties explore and exercise their constitutional liberty to challenge or defend the outcome of the presidential and National Assembly elections, we must remind ourselves of the overriding duty that we bear to eschew conduct and action capable of undermining the peace of our country or imperil the capacity of INEC to conduct the upcoming elections.
“Our candidate, now President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, emerged as the overwhelming choice of Nigerians in the presidential election which was free, fair and in substantial compliance with the Electoral Act and INEC Guidelines for the 2023 General Election.
“We are thankful for our renewed presidential mandate, and urge our supporters and indeed all Nigerians to double down on their support for our great party, and its candidates in the upcoming elections.”
