With malpractice and technical glitches witnessed during the 2023 general election, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Resident Electoral Commissioner for Osun State, Dr Mutiu Agboke, maintains that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) played a crucial role in restoring order and integrity to the electoral process in Nigeria.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by members of the Osun Online Publishers Association to the state’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office, Dr. Agboke underscored BVAS as a pivotal tool for ensuring transparency and fairness in elections across the country.
He stated, “We all know that BVAS is still giving us sanity in our electoral process. We are still going to work on the beliefs and perceptions of the people on the BVAS, INEC will develop and improve before every election.
“We will not rest on our oars. We will continue to do the engagement because it is very important.”
Agboke also addressed persistent challenges such as vote buying and election violence, emphasizing the need for sustained engagement with stakeholders to address these issues effectively.
He added, “Vote buying is still a terrible cankerworm. Stakeholders are not facing the reality of electioneering violence and allowing it to go.
“There is a need for us to continue to engage the public and this is done for them to understand before they can stop collecting money from those who are giving them. We need to talk to their conscience.”
He also used the opportunity to disclose his plans before the commencement of electioneering in Osun State.
Speaking further, he articulated, “Again, voter education is a continuous exercise. We are going to start in a short while, to go to media houses in the state.
“People must be told certain things that have enveloped our electioneering process that we should not allow to happen.
“We are going to engage the political parties. We are going to visit the political parties from May 15. Meet their executives and talk to ourselves.
“I want to liberalise the process of engagement and make people see that we can talk about these things. Do they talk to their members and do voter education at their ward meetings, congresses and political rallies?
“We need to assure them that our guidelines formulated based on what we have designed will be followed to the letter, our technology, how they are going to work and entrenchment of confidence.”
He reiterated the commitment of INEC to promote dialogue and transparency in the electoral process, urging stakeholders to actively participate in efforts to uphold the integrity of Nigeria’s democracy.
