Nigeria: INEC in the dock as 2023 polls inches closer

Nigeria: INEC in the dock as 2023 polls inches closer

By Tasie Theodore

With just about four weeks left to the scheduled presidential polls in Africa’s most populous nation, the umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC is literally in the dock.

Evidently, one of the most contested polls in recent Nigerian history, pundits say that the commission would have to go the extra mile to satisfy Nigerians  and deliver a credible outcome.

Clearly very aware of this, INEC has rolled out a plan to test-run its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, which it hopes would help better guarantee the integrity of the polls in a nation where virtually every election is fraught with allegations of malpractice.

Accordingly, INEC has concluded arrangements to conduct a nationwide mock accreditation exercise, using the technology.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu revealed this, Friday in Abuja at a strategy review meeting with National and Resident Electoral Commissioners RECs.

According to him, the exercise is slated for Saturday, February 4, and would take place in 436 poling units.

These comprise 12 polling units from each State of the Federation and another four in the Federal Capital Territory FCT, picked on the basis of the equality of the country’s 109 Senatorial Districts.

Another critical point has to do with the collection of Permanent Voter Cards PVCs, an exercise that is expected to be rounded off this Sunday. However, not a few Nigerians that had registered to vote are yet to scale this very critical hurdle and could therefore be disenfranchised from the voting  proper if a way is not found around it.

INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu