INEC deployd 13,325 BVAS for 13,325 polling units in Lagos

By Our Correspondent 

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has said the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS introduced to curtail identity theft during the forthcoming elections is already on ground.

Speaking during a stakeholders meeting organised by the commission, INEC's Lagos Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Olusegun Agbaje, while urging stakeholders to corporate with the commission for hitch free elections in the State said: "Numbers of BVAS deployed to Lagos are 13, 325, are already on ground."

He said:"The Commission has continued to work round the clock towards ensuring that no stone is left unturned for the creation of very conducive electoral environment for an all inclusive participation of all stakeholders.

"To ensure seamless access of Voters to polling units, the number of polling units has risen from 8,464 to 13, 325 in Lagos State which is the largest in Nigeria."

Speaking on collection of PVCs, Agbaje said: "It is pertinent to note that out of the 6630661 PVCs received in the State between 2011 and 2021, a total of 5,676,858 have been collected by their owners as at December 2, 2022, 953,803 yet to be collected by owners."

While stressing that PVCs will not be collected in proxy, he said anyone without PVC cannot vote in forthcoming elections,  he said: " Uncollected cards and expected PVCs for the registrants who did fresh registration, transfer or review between January and July 2022 would be available for collection in all INEC offices across the State from next Monday December 12, 2022." 

"The Commission has fixed the collection of Permanent Voters Cards between Monday 12, till January 22, 2023 at the local government area offices of the commission and between January 6 and 15 2023 at the Registration Area, RA and Ward level."

He added that"collection of PVCs would end on January 22, 2023 to enable the commission compute the polling unit by polling unit record of PVCs collected to aid preparations in line with section 24 (2&3), 47(3) and 51(2) of the Electoral Act 2022, Incase the margin of the lead between the two leading candidates in an election is not in excess of the total number of Voters who collected their PVCs in polling units where elections are postponed, voided or not held".