Ahead of the 2023 general elections, The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has reportedly failed to released the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System, BVAS, an electronic device designed to read Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, and authenticate voters to any of the five states in the South-East region.
Speaking during an interface with the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, Fact-Finding Mission for Nigerian elections in Enugu, INEC Administration Secretary in Enugu, Mr Chidi Nwafor, disclosed that the commission had received non-sensitive materials except the BVAS which he said might be connected with activities of unknown gunmen.
Nwafor recounted how the gunmen attacked and burnt some of the commission’s offices in Enugu and other parts of the South-East.
He further disclosed that the commission still lacked vehicles, adding that since the attack at the headquarters of the commission in Enugu where so many vehicles were burnt, the national quarters had not replaced them.
He said “As we speak, our database has been cleaned ahead of elections against any errors and virus. We have vehicle issues – after attack on our office, our vehicles have been depleted and the national quarters are aware of it.”
He expressed optimism that early logistics movement and time would resolve most of the election challenges the commission had had in the past, citing Osun and Ekiti governorship elections.
