FCT Polls: INEC Deploys 2,822 BVAS As Over 1.3m Expected To Vote Saturday

The Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) has deployed 2,822 Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) for Saturday’s elections taking place in six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

No fewer than 475 aspirants will be contesting for 6 chairmanship and 62 councillorship positions at the polls.

INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, supervised the distribution of the BVAS, result sheets, ballot papers and other sensitive materials to the area councils on Thursday.

Yakubu said 12,000 ad hoc staff had been deployed alongside regular officials of INEC for the elections.

“The materials were received from CBN and are being taken to the area councils starting with the farthest, Abaji, kwali to Gwagwalada area councils.

“There are six area councils Abaji, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Kwali and Abuja Municipal Area Council(AMAC).

“One area council alone like AMAC is almost the size of Guinea-Bissau in Africa, so we still had to do some serious work.

“However, we have taken adequate care and decongested some polling units for the elections and we hope that the political parties have mobilised, so that there would be high voter turnout.

“Our responsibility is voter education, while their responsibility is voter mobilisation,’’ he said.

INEC’s National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education (IVEC), Festus Okoye, said deployment of the materials was observed by representatives of political parties, civil society groups and the media.

“This is because we want to be as transparent as possible and we also want to be as fast as possible so that the vehicles can leave.

“The security agents that would escort the vehicles are ready, political parties and CSOs are welcomed to escort the vehicles to their destinations.

“When they get there the materials would be offloaded and kept under heavy security pending when they are deployed to the Registration Area Centres (RACs).’’

The commission’s director of electoral operations, Abdulrazak Yusuf, said the election materials have been customised in different colours such that no two area councils have the same type of materials.

“We also have replacement result sheets produced, based on percentage in case something happens we can easily have sheets to record our results.

“They are usually left with the resident commissioner supervising that local government in addition to the six supporting the REC, so that the form would be with him, but it will not be used.

“It can only be used when all parties have agreed that there is an issue with one result sheet that will be countersigned and replaced,” said Yusuf.