The Independent National Electoral Commission has clarified that the Biometric Voters Accreditation System remains a crucial tool for voter accreditation in elections, dismissing claims that the Supreme Court’s 2023 presidential election judgment diminished its role.
Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner Dr. Mutiu Agboke made this declaration during a media briefing in Osogbo on Wednesday, while also revealing that 360,794 Permanent Voter Cards remain uncollected in the state.
“The Supreme Court in its judgment did not overrule the application of the usage of BVAS, it only emphasized the fundamental of Voters’ register to anything that INEC wants to do,” Agboke stated. “The commission has the power to deploy technology to deepen the process. Therefore, we can come up in 2027 with any kind of technology because we have the basis for it, which is the law.”
Addressing the upcoming Continuous Voter Registration, Agboke urged media collaboration to boost PVC collection rates. “We implore you to assist the commission in Osun State to mobilize the electorates to come out, not only to register for the PVC, but for the collection as well,” he said. “In Osun State we have total number of 1,954,800 registered voters and the sum of 360,794 PVCs uncollected.”
The REC also called on media to help combat electoral malpractices: “The media is also strategically positioned to help the commission speak loudly against the tendency to want to purchase votes on election day like a commodity, against the orchestrated violence, against various electoral malfeasances.”
Agboke strongly defended INEC’s technological processes, comparing electoral challenges to academic defenses: “It’s like when you are defending your PhD. It does not mean all the rubbish you’ve written, everything is correct. That’s why they tell you not to argue with your supervisor while presenting.” He maintained that BVAS operates offline during accreditation, dismissing claims about network dependency as false.
“BVAS does not work with network. It’s an offline machine during accreditation,” Agboke emphasized. “During accreditation, you don’t need the network. The network requirement is only when you want to upload into the RF.”
The REC assured proper accommodations for Persons With Disabilities, noting Osun’s leading efforts in this area. On over-voting concerns, he explained: “If the number of ballots in the box is more than the accredited voter, the law does not ask us to ask questions, you just put zero in that unit.”
Agboke categorically denied any secret meetings with political actors: “In the INEC I’m superintending in Osun state, we’ve not held any meetings, no one has approached us and no one is talking to us to do any irregularities for this election.”
He urged media vigilance against misinformation: “If you hear anything, call us, don’t join the bandwagon and spread fake news about the commission.”
