In the report published on Friday, February 10, the CSO stated that at least four polling officials were present at the polling units where the mock exercise was held, with an average of one female official.

According to the report, 82 per cent of polling units had security personnel present.

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It noted that party agents were also present in varying percentages, with the highest being for the All Progressives Congress (APC) at 61 per cent and the lowest being for the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) at eight per cent.

The organisation noted that the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) functioned properly in 98 per cent of the polling units. However, in two per cent of polling units, the BVAS malfunctioned, but were quickly fixed. The report notes that the malfunctioning of the device did not significantly disrupt the process.

One of the key issues highlighted in the report is the presence of missing names on the voter register.

“In 11 per cent of polling units, voters whose names were not on the register were denied accreditation. This highlights the need for INEC to ensure that the voter register is updated and accurate before the general election,” YIAGA Africa stated.

The CSO further noted that observers reported that 55 per cent of them were very satisfied with the conduct of the mock exercise, while 40 per cent were satisfied and four per cent were not satisfied.

The report also notes that only 15 states out of 36 and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) uploaded data on the Integrated Result Viewing (IReV) portal during the mock accreditation.

Also, according to the report, only 82 polling units uploaded the total number of accredited voters on the BVAS to the IReV portal. Out of the 94 result sheets uploaded, only 16 were clear and readable.

The report also highlighted discrepancies between the total number of accredited voters recorded on the BVAS and the mock result sheets.

In light of its observations, YIAGA Africa asked INEC to make its report on the BVAS testing public to allow stakeholders to see the results of the tests and to assess the readiness of the BVAS for the general election.

It also called on INEC to notify voters via text message, email, or phone call about the migration of polling units to ensure that voters are aware of the changes and can plan accordingly.

The third recommendation is for INEC to properly educate electoral officials on recording results to avoid discrepancies, to ensure that the results are accurate and trustworthy.

The organisation also urged INEC to ensure that all BVAS devices are in top condition before deployment for the general election to help to prevent any malfunctions and ensure that the accreditation process is smooth and efficient.