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Presidential Poll: 70 CSOs Kick Against INEC’s Move To Reconfigure BVAS

The decision by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to amend the Bimodal Voter Recognition System or BVAS, used for presidential elections, was rejected by the Nigerian Civil Society Situational Chamber on Tuesday.
In a statement released in Abuja, The Situation Room, a coalition of 70 civil society organizations (CSOs) working to support transparent and trustworthy elections in the country, expressed concerns about the preservation of data collected during the presidential and national elections in the February 25 parliamentary elections.

“Situation Room will like the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to clarify to the public how it intends to ensure that data collected in the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) used in the election will be preserved for use in the review and audit of the elections.

“Electoral accountability requires that information collected during elections are preserved for use in the audit and review of the election and for accountability purposes.

“In the light of the disputations that have emerged and the controversy surrounding the 2023 general elections, Situation Room is asking INEC to ensure that its records and data related to the election are held safely and securely to ensure its use for the purposes of scrutiny and accountability.

“Reports indicating that the BVAS may need to be reconfigured or even erased for the upcoming State Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections due on Saturday, 11th March 2023 is a serious cause for concern and we worry that this could further pose additional credibility questions over the integrity and conduct of the 2023 general elections”, the statement, which was signed by conveners of the CSOs, Ene Obi, Asma’u Joda and James Ugochukwu, further read.

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