BVAS WORKS IN FIVE SECONDS AS INEC CHAIR AMUPITAN INSPECTS MOCK ACCREDITATION IN FCT

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, on Saturday, February 7, 2026, toured several polling units across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to monitor the ongoing mock voter accreditation exercise ahead of the forthcoming Area Council elections.

Findings from the field confirmed that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) functioned efficiently, completing voter accreditation within seconds at the polling units visited.

The inspection commenced at the INEC Area 10 Office, where Professor Amupitan held a brief closed-door meeting with the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) before proceeding to the Area 10 Polling Unit, Centre Municipal. Officials at the polling unit confirmed that the BVAS operated seamlessly without any technical glitches during the mock exercise.

The INEC Chairman thereafter moved to Government Secondary School, Wuse Zone III, where he inspected two polling units as well as a training centre for ad hoc staff and Supervisory Presiding Officers (SPOs undergoing preparations for the elections.

At Sagbwary Primary School, Dutse, Professor Amupitan visited Polling Units 003 and 064, where Presiding Officers demonstrated the accreditation process using the BVAS. At both units, the device reportedly completed accreditation within five seconds, while the entire process took approximately one minute per voter.

At Polling Unit 003 in Dutse, 11 voters had already been accredited at the time of the Chairman’s visit, with additional voters observed on the queue participating in the mock exercise.

The inspection tour continued to Ushafa Polling Units 001 and 003, where similar results were recorded, as officials again confirmed the effective performance of the BVAS. However, voter turnout across most of the polling units visited was generally low.

Addressing journalists after the inspection, Professor Amupitan urged members of the public to come out in large numbers on election day, assuring them that INEC is fully prepared to conduct a free, fair, and credible election.

“INEC is not a political party and not a civil society organisation to campaign for votes. It is the responsibility of political parties and civil society groups to mobilise voters and encourage participation. Our duty is to ensure that all sensitive and non-sensitive materials are available and that the process works effectively, which is why we are conducting this mock accreditation,” he said.

He explained that the mock accreditation exercise was designed to test the readiness of INEC personnel and equipment, particularly the BVAS, to guarantee a smooth and seamless accreditation process during the Area Council elections.