INEC Declares BVAS Ready, Urges Voter Mobilisation Ahead of FCT Polls

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) ready for the February 21 Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) after conducting a mock accreditation exercise.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, made the announcement on Saturday after monitoring the simulation in selected polling units across the FCT, including Area 10 Garki, Wuse Zone 3, Ushafa and Dutse. He said the exercise was organised to test the commission’s preparedness and the performance of the upgraded BVAS ahead of the polls.
According to him, the accreditation process was fast, taking about five seconds or less per voter, while the system also prevented attempts at double accreditation.
Amupitan noted that non-sensitive materials had already been deployed to the six Area Councils and that electoral officials were undergoing training to ensure a smooth election.
He said presiding officers had been provided with alternatives such as personal hotspots to address possible network challenges, adding that results would upload to the INEC Result Viewing Portal once a signal is available.
The INEC chairman, however, expressed concern over the low turnout during the mock exercise and urged political parties to intensify voter mobilisation ahead of the election.
He also called on FCT residents to participate actively in the February 21 polls, describing voter participation as essential to strengthening grassroots democracy.