The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) asserts that the governorship election in Kogi on November 11 was conducted in a manner that was free, fair, and credible. INEC refutes claims suggesting that it manipulated the accredited voter figures in the election results.
This clarification was provided in a statement by Alhaji Mohammed Haruna, a National Commissioner and member of the Information and Voter Education Committee at INEC, in Abuja.
“The attention of INEC has been drawn to some media reports alleging it tampered with the accredited figures of voters in Kogi governorship election results uploaded on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.”
“However, these reports are unfounded.”
“For the avoidance of doubt, the most accurate and up-to-date voters’ accreditation data is available in the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).”
“BVAS is used for the authentication and accreditation of registered voters at various polling units on election day. It automatically retains the accreditation data of all voters,” he said.
Haruna explained that the BVAS was specifically designed to operate primarily offline, allowing for a quicker and smoother authentication and accreditation process for voters, even in the absence of internet connectivity.
“When BVAS application is active or in use, depending on the strength of its connection to the Internet, the BVAS automatically exports the accreditation data to the Accreditation Backend System (ABS).”
“This exportation of data does not happen when the device’s application is inactive or when the internet connectivity is poor.”
“The same experience applies to a situation where more than one BVAS gadget is used at a polling unit with more than 1,250 registered voters.”
“This could be compared to a situation when poor network services delay the delivery of an SMS sent from one individual to another through a mobile phone, “ he said.
Haruna mentioned that when polls conclude, presiding officers are required to press the data export button on the BVAS to ensure the exportation of all accreditation data to the ABS.
“This process, referred to as synchronization and which is ongoing, could lead to changes in the accreditation figures as more data flow in to update the existing figures.”
“This is the basis for the caveat provided on the IReV portal, regarding the accreditation figures. The accreditation data cannot be changed on the BVAS after the close of poll.”
“The public should disregard the misleading report and misinformation,” he said.