Situation advises INEC to improve on distribution of BVAS during elections

The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (Situation Room) has advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to improve on the distribution of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in proportion to registered voters in polling units.

The Co-convener of the Situation Room, Mr James Ugochukwu, made the appeal while briefing newsmen on the organisation second interim statement on the Ekiti Governorship election on Sunday in Ado Ekiti.

The Situation Room is made up of over 70 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) working in support of credible and transparent election in Nigeria.

Ugochukwu commended the functionality of the device during the state governorship election, saying the situation room observations indicated the BVAS was functional in at least 76 per cent of the voting locations.

“However, there are many reports of delays and malfunctioning BVAS machines in some voting units especially those with many registered voters.

“Examples of the locations where the machines malfunctioned are PU 002 Igbaletere by Mechanic Workshop, Ward 6 Ado Okeyinmi, Ado-Ekiti LGA where the Machine was going on and off intermittently.

“Also are PU 007 LA Primary School Oke Afin, Otun Ward III and PUO18 Igogo Ward II both in Moba LGA, where the BVAS failed, and PU 014, Ward 1 Okemesi, Ekiti West LGA, among others.

He said that reports from field observers indicated that it took at least three minutes to accredit a voter using the BVAS in 41 per cent of the locations observed.

“Going by this, the BVAS would have successfully accredited 20 voters per hour on the average in the affected voting locations.

“Consequently, INEC will need to double its effort to improve on the turnaround time of the BVAS of one minute per voter for a seamless process on election day.

“Furthermore, INEC’s distribution of the BVAS devices was not proportionate voters population of registered voters by polling unit,” he said.

Ugochukwu also advised INEC to address the problem of over-concentration of voters in some polling units.

He cited the situation at Surajudeen School, Ado Dallimore (Ward 9), Ado Ekiti LGA, which had about 5,000 registered voters shared between just two polling units.

Ugochukwu said that some of the voters complained that their request for transfer of registration to their preferred polling units was not approved before the election.

“Several of the polling units were sited in private residences and compounds in Ekiti State contrary to claims by INEC that the Commission had moved polling units to public spaces during its Expansion of Voters Access to Polling Units Exercise in 2021.

“We hope that INEC will properly address this lingering issue going into the 2023 General Elections,” he said.

Ugochukwu commended INEC for recording appreciable improvement in logistics and election administration, especially with the early arrival of election officials and materials at the polling units, leading to early opening of polls.

“This is a welcome improvement from what was observed in both the Anambra State Governorship Election 2021 and FCT Area Councils Elections 2022,” he said.

He commended poll officials for giving priority to Persons with Disabilities (PWD) voters, elderly persons and pregnant women in most of the polling units observed.

He, however, said that the electorate refused to recognise people with albinism as persons with disabilities, thereby failing to accord them special consideration at the polling units while voting cubicles were not easily accessible to other PWDs.

“Also, Situation Room notes that assistive materials such as braille guides and magnifying glasses for PWD voters were scarcely available.

“Where available, such as in PU 008 Open Space in front of Government Special School for the Blind, Oke Osun, Ikere Ekiti, they were in standard quality and the Presiding officer deployed them effectively,” he said.

He also commended Electronic Transmission of polling unit results to INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV Portal) on time after the close of poll.

“Situation Room observed that INEC’s IReV portal went live on time, with 45 per cent of the polling unit results already uploaded as at 5:pm on election day.

“By 9p.m., the upload was at 98 per cent with results from 10 of the 16 LGAs fully uploaded.

“This is a marked improvement from the FCT Area Councils’ Elections in February 2022,” he said.