TELL Magazine

Professor Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has said that from reports across the country so far, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS has performed optimally during the election. The BVAS is the technology deployed by INEC to guard against sharp practices in the electoral system in Nigeria. First, it ensured that the Permanent Voter Card, PVC of one voter, cannot be used by another person to vote. It is also the device that authenticates the identity of the real owner of a PVC.
Yakubu, who was speaking during the second briefing on the election day, however, regretted that BVAS has now become the target of thugs who normally go on assignment to tamper with the voting process. Hitherto, the target of the thugs used to be the ballot box.
Lamenting the development, the INEC boss said “Unfortunately, we continue to lose some of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices. There was reported loss of devices in Delta, and in Safana, Katsina State. But unfortunately we also lost these BVAS machines in Ayanmelu in Anambra State”. Yakubu however assured that the Commission had recovered from all these losses “because we had contingency arrangement to respond to any such attack”.