2023: No Going Back On Deployment Of BVAS, IReV – INEC Chairman

The INEC chairman has said there’s no going back on the deployment of the BVAS and IReV for the 2023 elections.

Eko Hot Blog reports that the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has said that the commission will go ahead with its deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) for the 2023 elections.

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He made the affirmation in a message he personally signed on Wednesday.

According to the INEC chief, political parties and politicians must shun campaigns of “divisiveness, rancour and violence” ahead of the 2023 general election, which is 100 days away.

Yakubu, who noted that INEC’s loyalty is only to Nigerians, also said the commission will start to release bi-weekly media briefings followed by weekly briefings and daily briefings as the elections approach.

“As I have said repeatedly, the commission’s allegiance is to Nigeria. Our loyalty is to Nigerians who want free, fair, credible and verifiable elections supported by technology, which guarantees transparent accreditation and upload of polling unit results for citizens to view in real-time on election day,” the message reads in part.

“It is for these reasons that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) were introduced. There is no going back on the deployment of BVAS and IReV for the 2023 general election.

“Similarly, we will continue with our regular engagement with political parties, civil society organisations, the media and other critical stakeholders. Above all, Nigerians deserve the right to know about the progress we are making and the challenges (if any) we confront in our preparations for the general election.

“I seize this opportunity to call on all citizens to participate fully in all electoral activities, particularly the ongoing display of the register of voters for claims and objections, as well as collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). I also call on political parties and political leaders to conduct their campaigns peacefully, eschewing divisiveness, rancour and violence.

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“As Nigerians are aware, elections are a multi-stakeholder activity. We will continue to play our part diligently and conscientiously. We appeal to all stakeholders and, above all, citizens to play their own part so that working together, we can have the elections that Nigerians yearn for, and which the world expects from us.”

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