The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the selection of 436 polling units across Nigeria for the mock accreditation exercise ahead of the general election in 2023.
The mock accreditation exercise, which is set to begin on February 4, will be used to train and retrain INEC’s ad hoc staff.
The exercise will also be used to test the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which will be used during the general election.
The 436 polling units will be made up of 12 polling units in six Local Government Areas (two LGAs in each of the 109 Senatorial districts) and two Local Area Councils in the Federal Capital Territory.
A list of polling places is now available on the commission’s official website.
On the other hand, it is expected that the collection of Permanent Voters Cards, which were returned to the commission’s offices at the local government level, will end on Sunday, January 29 across Nigeria.
The commission may decide to extend the exercise once more to give those who haven’t yet picked up their cards a chance to do so.
Prof Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Commission, stated this on Friday during a meeting with state Resident Electoral Commissioners from the 36 states and the FCT.
He stated that the Commission may consider other options to ensure that more Nigerians collect their PVCs ahead of the Presidential and National Assembly elections on February 25th.