INEC Remains Committed to Deploying Technology, Amupitan Promises
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, has expressed the commission’s commitment to deploying technology to enhance the credibility of elections.
Amupitan gave the assurance in Abuja while monitoring a mock accreditation exercise conducted ahead of the February 21 Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He cautioned Nigerians against creating “unnecessary tension” over the Senate’s decision.
He stressed that the legislative process involves harmonisation between the Senate and the House of Representatives, adding that a “final position can only emerge after due process has been completed.”
The Chairman, who led a delegation of National Commissioners and the FCT Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) to selected polling units, said the exercise was aimed at testing the commission’s operational readiness and the technical efficiency of the upgraded Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
Amupitan stated, “We don’t want to use the main election as a guinea pig. This is primarily to test operational readiness, and our primary focus is the functionality of the BVAS, which, for us, is a game-changer.
“Accreditation during the simulation took about five seconds per voter, while the device successfully blocked a repeat accreditation attempt, demonstrating its effectiveness in preventing double voting.
“With this technology, there is no way you can be accredited twice. There’s no way you can vote twice,” he added.
While addressing concerns about potential network challenges in rural communities, Amupitan noted that the commission had strengthened its operational protocols, including a provision allowing presiding officers to use personal hotspots as needed.
He explained that the system is designed to automatically upload results to INEC’s IReV portal upon signal detection.
Amupitan decried the low turnout of participants during the mock accreditation and urged political parties to intensify voter mobilisation.
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