INEC Deploys Massive Security, Tests BVAS Ahead of Ekiti Governorship Election
Oru Leonard
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has assured residents of Ekiti State of a peaceful, credible and violence-free governorship election scheduled for June 20, following extensive security preparations and successful testing of its electoral technology.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, gave the assurance during a mock accreditation exercise conducted in Ado-Ekiti to assess the functionality of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) ahead of the poll.
Speaking after inspecting the exercise, Amupitan said the Commission, in collaboration with security agencies, had put in place comprehensive measures to safeguard voters, electoral officials and election materials throughout the election period.
He disclosed that security personnel are being deployed from various parts of the country to identified flashpoints across the state, adding that areas of potential concern had already been mapped out and appropriate preventive measures activated to forestall any breakdown of law and order.
The INEC Chairman expressed satisfaction with the performance of the BVAS during the mock accreditation exercise, noting that the device accredited voters within seconds and successfully detected attempts by individuals to verify accreditation outside their designated polling units.
According to him, the technology has been further enhanced with safeguards that prevent presiding officers from uploading election results that do not correspond with figures entered on official result sheets, a development he said would strengthen transparency and public confidence in the electoral process.
Amupitan also dismissed concerns over possible delays in heavily populated polling units, explaining that INEC’s polling unit splitting arrangement and deployment strategy would ensure smooth accreditation and voting on election day.
He revealed that all non-sensitive election materials had been distributed and batched, while electoral officers across the state had confirmed their readiness for the exercise.
Expressing confidence in the Commission’s level of preparedness, the INEC Chairman assured residents that voting would commence as scheduled across the state and that all necessary arrangements had been concluded to guarantee a free, fair and credible governorship election.
With security deployment intensified and electoral technology successfully tested, INEC says all is set for Ekiti voters to head to the polls next Saturday under conditions designed to ensure safety, transparency and confidence in the democratic process.
