THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday, January 3 received the last batch of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines, 52 days to the commencement of 2023 general elections.
This was disclosed in a statement released on Wednesday, January 4, and signed by INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye.
According to the statement, the Commission created four airport hubs in Abuja, Kano, Lagos, and Port Harcourt to facilitate the smooth delivery of the machines.
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“In furtherance of the preparations for the 2023 General Election, the Commission, yesterday, 3rd January 2023, received the last consignment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation machines with 52 days to the election.
“The Commission’s Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, National Commissioners and senior officials of the Commission were at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, to receive the BVAS. Officials of the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company and airport security officials were at the airport to receive the INEC team.
“To facilitate the smooth delivery of the machines, the Commission created four airport hubs in Abuja, Kano, Lagos, and Port Harcourt.
“Over the last four months, several flights delivered the BVAS to the designated airports for movement to States of the federation ahead of the elections. With the arrival of the last flight in Abuja yesterday, the Commission has now taken delivery of the required number of the BVAS for all the polling units in the country and extra machines in line with our contingency provisions for all critical election materials,” parts of the statement said.
The Commission reiterated its determination to conduct a free, fair, credible, transparent, and inclusive election anchored on technology.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via [email protected] and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.