•To deploy Bimodal Voter Accreditation System for FCT elections
By Folorunso Alagbede, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Tuesday, declared that the speedy passage of the Electoral Amendment Bill, currently before the National Assembly, is crucial to its preparations for future elections in the country.
The Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu made the declaration while speaking at the first regular quarterly consultative meeting for 2022, between the commission and leaders of political parties in Abuja.
This is even as Yakubu disclosed that
a total of 8,260,076 eligible Nigerians, who commenced the online pre-registration under the ongoing continuous voter registration, CVR, exercise, have as at Monday January 27, this year), have completed the registration physically or applied for transfer to new voting locations, replacement of their Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) or updated their voter information records as required law.
The INEC Chairman stated that as soon as the the electoral amendment bill is signed into law, the Commission will quickly release the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2023 General Election based on the new law.
He disclosed that the Commission is, at the moment, undertaking the most comprehensive cleaning up of the data to ensure that only eligible citizens are added to the voters’ register for the 2023 General Election.
The Commission, he promised, will share its findings with Nigerians, while the actual dates for the collection of the PVCs nationwide will be announced very soon.
According to Yakubu, “Undoubtedly, the year 2022 is going to be a very busy year for the Commission and the political parties.
“The 2023 General Election is just 396 days away. All the critical preparations must be concluded this year.
“The Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) which commenced in June last year has entered the third quarter.
“As at yesterday, Monday 17th January 2022, a total of 8,260,076 eligible Nigerians commenced the online pre-registration, completed the registration physically or applied for transfer to new voting locations, replacement of their Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) or updated their voter information records as required by law.
“The Commission has been publishing weekly progress reports of the exercise. We are aware that Nigerians want to know when their PVCs will be available for collection.
“At the moment, the Commission is undertaking the most comprehensive cleaning up of the data to ensure that only eligible citizens are added to the voters’ register for the 2023 General Election and will share our findings with Nigerians and the actual dates for the collection of the PVCs nationwide will be announced very soon.
“I want to request that you continue to encourage eligible voters who have not registered to do so, bearing in mind that those who had registered at any time previously need not register again.
“Also, encourage voters who wish to transfer from their present Polling Units to new ones created as part of the Commission’s expansion of voter access polling units to do so immediately”, he said.
Speaking on the Electoral Amendment Bill currently before the National Assembly, the INEC Chairman said, “ the Commission is encouraged by the Senate President’s assurance to give priority attention to the Bill when the National Assembly reconvenes from its recess today (yesterday) and the commitment by the President to assent to the Bill as soon as the issue of mode of primaries by political parties is resolved.
“We look forward to a speedy passage of the Bill, which is crucial to our preparations for future elections.
“As soon as it is signed into law, the Commission will quickly release the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2023 General Election based on the new law”, he said.
The INEC Chairman confirmed that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) will be deployed in the FCT elections, which is the second major election after the Anambra Governorship election held in November last year.
His words, “It is now 25 days to the Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory. Major activities have already been carried out, including the conduct of primaries and nomination of candidates by political parties.
“Only last week, the Commission presented the register of voters to political parties while the PVCs for new registrants, requests for transfers and replacement of cards have been printed and delivered several weeks ago to our FCT office for collection by voters.
“In the next few weeks, the Commission will intensify stakeholder engagements, the monitoring of campaigns by political parties and preparations for Election Day activities.
“On this note, I want to draw your attention to the distribution of voters to Polling Units in the FCT, particularly the fact that 593 out of 2,822 or 21% of the total, do not have voters.
“This is because voters failed to take advantage of the expansion of access to transfer to these new Polling Units.
“The detailed distribution of voters to Polling Units in the FCT is among the documents in your folders for this meeting.
“For emphasis, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) will be deployed in the FCT elections which is the second major election after the Anambra Governorship election held in November last year.
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