The Independent National Electoral Commission has expressed confidence in its preparedness for Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti State following the successful conduct of a mock accreditation exercise using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, who monitored the exercise in parts of the state, said the outcome demonstrated the commission’s readiness to conduct a free, credible and transparent poll on June 20.
The commission carried out the mock accreditation in selected local government areas, including Ado and Ikere Ekiti, to assess the performance of the BVAS devices ahead of the election.
Speaking with journalists in Ado Ekiti, Amupitan said the exercise was aimed at testing the commission’s technology and ensuring all election materials and systems were functioning effectively.
“The BVAS machines worked efficiently during the exercise. Fingerprint and facial verification were completed within a few seconds, giving us confidence in the reliability of the system,” he said.
He added that INEC had made contingency arrangements for any technical challenges, saying backup BVAS machines and technical support teams had been strategically positioned across the state for quick intervention.
The INEC chairman also assured stakeholders that only verified election results would be uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing Portal, stressing that delays caused by network issues should not be mistaken for irregularities.
Amupitan further disclosed that logistics and security plans had been finalised to ensure polling units open by 8:30 a.m. across the state, adding that the commission was working closely with security agencies to guarantee a peaceful and hitch-free election.
