As the off-cycle governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi billed November 11 approach, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it would on October 14 conduct mock accreditation in the states, using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, who disclosed this in a statement on Monday, said the exercise would be held simultaneously in 27 polling units, three in each senatorial district.
While appealing to registered voters to turn up with their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), he clarified that the process is a “test accreditation exercise, and not the actual election.”
His words: “The Commission met today, Monday September 25, 2023 and, among other issues, reviewed the preparations for the forthcoming off-cycle governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi states scheduled for Saturday, November 11, 2023.
“As was the case in recent off-cycle governorship elections, the Commission will conduct a mock accreditation, using the BVAS and upload polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV). The test-run will take place simultaneously in the three states on Saturday, October 14, 2023 from 8.30am to 2.30pm.’’
“A maximum of three polling units in each senatorial district have been identified across each of the three states, covering a total of nine senatorial districts and 27 polling units. Lessons learnt from the exercise will be taken into consideration in ensuring a seamless process on Election Day.
“Full details of the polling units, including their locations by Local Government Area (LGA), Registration Area (RA)/Ward, Delimitation Code and number of registered voters have been uploaded to our website and social media platforms.”
