The Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council Chief Spokesperson, Dr Tanko Yunusa has said that Nigerian people will kick against not using the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) to conduct the 2023 general elections.
Reacting to the call by the APC National Chairman, Sen Abdullahi Adamu’s against the use of the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS), Yunusa said that Nigerians want a credible election done cleanly through and based on the use of BVAS and unadulterated and making sure it is credible and the vote of Nigerians count.
Yunusa further said that it is recorded at the same APC in 2015 when he the IPAC Chairman, came to complain about the use of the accreditation machine, that the PDP was denying them of the use of accreditation machine. They complain and also complained to the National Peace committee.
“I was a member and National Security adviser, Sambo. Also cited the idea of insecurity and the election was postponed. Under the National Peace Committee. I have to use my power to ask for the chairman to approve the meeting including the National security adviser, the service chiefs, and the INEC chairman all were in attendance and I ask them a simple question: Can they secure the life and properties of Nigerians? They agreed
“INEC said they were ready and the security adviser also said they were ready. That was why that was how the election was put on the right two weeks interval today. The APC now accused PDP of trying to use state apparatus manipulation election stand to do the same thing.
“Today the same APC leadership tries to use state apparatus to manipulate the election. Electoral Act as amended 2022 has empowered INEC to use every electronic means possible for them to have credible elections.
“The credibility of this election stands very friendly on the explicit execution of the content of the Electoral Act
“So therefore the APC should not use any gimmick or any manipulative tendency. If they are not satisfied with the provision of the Electoral Act, they should go to court.
“The Court has given and empowered INEC. We will not accept any attempt to manipulate this particular system. The Nigerian people will kick. We want a credible and election done cleanly through and based on the use of BVAS and unadulterated and making sure it is credible and the vote of Nigerians count, Yunusa said.
Recall the use of electronic devices such as the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS), INEC Voter Enrolment Device (IVED), INEC Results Viewing Portal (IRev) and other technological devices, are now legally allowed in the accreditation process for voters, collation of results and in the general conduct of elections.
Also, electronically transmitting the number of accredited voters is by Section 64(4)(5)(6) of the Electoral Act 2022, which provides that the number of accredited voters recorded and transmitted directly from the polling unit shall be considered in the collation and announcement of results.
The constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has given INEC the exclusive right, power and mandate to organise, undertake and supervise elections that are captured within the confines of the constitution.
INEC had earlier assured Nigerians that they are accountable to the people of this country and the people have accepted the BVAS as a game-changer in the electoral process.
“We cannot, under any circumstances, go back in the use of BVAS for voter accreditation and we can’t also go back on the issue of transmitting polling unit level results into our INEC result viewing portal.
“These two mechanisms and protocols are sacrosanct and the commission is committed to using them during the 2023 general election, INEC said.
If properly deployed BVAS will eliminate many of the electoral malpractices hindering the conduct of transparent elections in Nigeria.
With BVAS there will be no manual accreditation of voters or incident forms, as the right to vote depends on electronic accreditation using the voter’s fingerprint or face imprint. The crisis that usually arises through incident forms and excess voting will be eliminated.
There will be no need for ballot snatching because that would be a waste of time.
The election results would be announced at the polling units at the end of voting and transmitted right from there to the INEC server which is monitored by candidates, party stakeholders, CSOs and INEC from various Situation Rooms.
There will be no room for a change of figures at the local government or state collation centres. Collation centres will be mere academic funneling points unlike in the past when they used to be the centres of election results manipulation and vote stealing.
This has given hope to Nigerians and many believed that it has motivated many Nigerians to register to vote in 2023 with the expectation that with BVAS their votes are likely to count.
