The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed allegations that the commission manipulated the voter accreditation figures for the November 11 Kogi State governorship election results posted on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
INEC described the allegations as “unfounded” and stated that the most accurate and up-to-date voter accreditation data is stored on the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which is used to authenticate and accredit registered voters at polling units on Election Day.
The commission refuted the allegations in a statement on Tuesday by its National Commissioner and Member, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna.
INEC explained that the BVAS automatically records the accreditation data of all voters.
“The BVAS is designed to operate primarily offline without an internet connection, facilitating a faster and more seamless authentication and accreditation experience for voters,” the statement said.
“However, when its application is active or in use, the BVAS automatically exports the accreditation data to the Accreditation Backend System (ABS) depending on the strength of its internet connection.
“This data export does not occur when the device’s application is inactive or when the internet connectivity is poor. The same applies to a situation where more than one BVAS device is used at a polling unit with more than 1,250 registered voters.
“This can be compared to a situation where poor network services delay the delivery of an SMS sent from one individual to another through a mobile phone,” the commission stated.
It added, “At the close of the polls, Presiding Officers are expected to press the data export button on the BVAS to ensure that all accreditation data is exported to the ABS.
“This process, known as synchronization, is currently ongoing and could lead to changes in accreditation figures as more data flows in to update the existing figures. This is the reason for the caveat provided on the IReV portal regarding accreditation figures.
“The accreditation data cannot be changed on the BVAS after the close of the polls. The public is advised to disregard misleading reports and misinformation.”
