In a recent Stakeholders’ Meeting at the Dome in Akure, Ondo State, on Thursday, November 7, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to ensuring a transparent and credible electoral process. He announced that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) would be deployed at polling units for voter accreditation and result uploads to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
Prof. Yakubu shared that the Commission has accredited 111 domestic and international observer organizations, deploying 3,554 observers, alongside over 100 media organizations with 700 personnel, including 129 female journalists. He noted that all accreditation tags and election duty vehicle stickers have been prepared and will be available for collection at the INEC State office in Akure.
Highlighting the final steps before Election Day, Prof. Yakubu stated that only two activities remain: the conclusion of campaigns by midnight on Thursday, November 14, and the election itself.
On pre-election initiatives, he informed stakeholders that INEC had conducted voter registration and ensured the availability of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) for collection. Detailed information on the collected and uncollected PVCs across the state’s 3,933 polling units has been published on the INEC website, allowing voters to verify their status and polling locations.
He also provided a demographic breakdown of the 2,053,061 registered voters in the state by local government area, gender, age, occupation, and disability status. Additionally, he confirmed the availability of a comprehensive list of candidates, including those added by court order, underscoring INEC’s commitment to transparency.
Security preparations were another key point, as Prof. Yakubu assured stakeholders that INEC, in collaboration with security agencies, has implemented comprehensive measures to protect voters, INEC personnel, observers, and media representatives at all polling and collation centers. He mentioned that the Inspector-General of Police and other relevant authorities have provided assurances of a safe environment, enabling unhindered participation in the election.
Regarding the technological aspects, Prof. Yakubu highlighted that a mock accreditation exercise conducted across 12 polling units within six local government areas was successful. This test confirmed the BVAS system’s reliability, and results from the exercise were uploaded to the IReV portal, further demonstrating INEC’s readiness for the upcoming election.