INEC Picks Date For Osun, Ekiti Governorship Primaries, Insist On Electronic Transmission Of Results

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced dates for political parties to conduct their primaries ahead of the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun State.

According to the commission, parties are to hold primary elections for the Ekiti State guber between January 4, 2022 to January 29, 2022 while that of Osun State is slated for February 16, 2022 till March 12, 2022.

INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu disclosed this yesterday in Abuja during a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs).

The INEC boss also confirmed that the electoral umpire will be deepening the use of technology in conducting elections in the country.

He said Polling Unit results will be uploaded on the commission’s Result Viewing (IReV) portal in real-time on Election Day while the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) will be used for voter accreditation.

He said all glitches observed in previous elections where BVAS was deployed have been properly identified and fixed while the commission will continue to improve on lection performances.

Yakubu said: “The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) was deployed for the first time in a major election after the successful pilot in the Isoko South I State Constituency in Delta State in September this year. The BVAS has replaced the Smart Card Reader for verification and authentication as part of our improved voter accreditation process.”

“The new technology was designed in-house by INEC engineers. Like every new technology, glitches were observed and important lessons learnt. We wish to assure Nigerians that the commission has reviewed the performance of the BVAS in Anambra State and there will be a tremendous improvement leading to optimal performance in future elections.

“The BVAS has come to stay. So too is the uploading of Polling Unit results on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal in real-time on Election Day. We are convinced that the introduction of technology in voter accreditation and result management is better than the best entirely manual process. It also increases public confidence in the process. We will continue to deepen the use of technology in our elections.”

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