Blessing Bello, Reporting
THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has significantly boosted the number of biometric accreditation devices for the upcoming Osun State governorship election, responding to concerns raised by political parties.
The Commission has increased the total number of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices from 4,427 to 5,130 – an uplift of 703 units – while simultaneously doubling its backup machines to 1,328.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, announced the development on Saturday during an interactive session with media executives in Osogbo.
He explained that the additional 703 BVAS devices are specifically designated to service split polling units in areas with large electorates, particularly in Ife East, Irewole, Egbedore, Ede North and Osogbo.
In a move to safeguard against technical glitches on election day, the Commission has also increased its reserve of backup devices from 664 to 1,328.
This measure ensures rapid replacement in the event of any malfunction during voter accreditation.
Mock Exercise Confirms System Resilience
Prof. Amupitan’s announcement followed a statewide mock accreditation exercise designed to stress-test the technology under real-world conditions.
He confirmed that the BVAS performed optimally, with voter verification taking between 30 seconds and two minutes using fingerprint or facial recognition.
“What we saw today confirms that our technological defence against identity theft and results manipulation is robust and fully operational,” Amupitan stated.
Final Preparations Underway
With the August 15 poll fast approaching, the INEC Chairman outlined the administrative blueprint now in place.
The election will serve a total electorate of 2,339,233 registered voters across 3,763 polling units, 320 Wards and 30 Local Government Areas.
Training for ad-hoc staff is wrapping up, significantly supplemented by a partnership pool of 32,000 NYSC members vetted via the INECPRES portal.
