Joseph Bakare
In getting set for the forthcoming off-cycle Governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi States scheduled for Saturday 11th November 2023, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, met on Monday 25th September 2023 to review the preparations to ensure free and fair poll.
As was the case in recent off-cycle Governorship elections, the Commission said it will conduct a mock accreditation using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and upload of polling units results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV). The test run will take place simultaneously in the three States on Saturday 14th October 2023 from 8.30am to 2.30pm.
A maximum of three polling units in each Senatorial District have been identified across each of the three States, covering a total of nine Senatorial District and 27 polling units. Lessons learnt from the exercise will be taken into consideration in ensuring a seamless process on Election Day.
The Commission announced also that full details of the polling units, including their locations by Local Government Area (LGA), Registration Area (RA)/Ward, Delimitation Code and number of registered voters have been uploaded on its website and social media platforms.
The Commission therefore appealed to registered voters in the selected polling units to turn up with their Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) for the exercise while also advising public to note that this is strictly a test accreditation exercise and not the actual election.