INEC says 8,809 BVAS set aside as backup for election

In advance of the general elections in 2023, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), announced that it would use more than 200,000 Bimodal Voter Accreditation Systems (BVAS).

This is even as the Commission said that it has reserved an additional 8,809 BVAS machines as a backup that will be installed in all polling places nationwide.

Festus Okoye, national commissioner and chairman of the committee for information and voter education, made this announcement on Wednesday.

In 176,846 polling places around the nation, the commission would install more than 194,464 BVAS machines, according to Okoye.

The commission said this was in accordance with its contingency plans for all crucial election materials when it received delivery of the final batch of the machines on Tuesday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

Each of the 176,846 polling places would receive a BVAS, according to Okoye, who added that each registration area, or 8,809 of them, would also receive at least two BVAS as a backup in case of malfunction. This would total over 194,464 BVAS devices.

According to him, there are 176,846 polling places in Nigeria and they’ll all be equipped with BVASs. 

Noting that there could be more than 750 registered voters in some voting places, he said the Commission would send more BVAS to these polling units.

“We have 8,809 registration areas in Nigeria. Each one will have at least two BVAS for purposes of quick intervention in cases of sustained malfunction of  BVAS in any of the polling units in each electoral ward,’’ Okoye said.

In a previous statement, Okoye had mentioned that the commission had only received the final shipment of BVAS devices on Tuesday.

He said that in order to ensure the smooth delivery of the machines, the commission established four airport hubs in Abuja, Kano, Lagos, and Port Harcourt.

The statement reads, “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.