Following the outcomes of the just-concluded area council elections, FCT Minister of State, Dr Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to, as a matter of urgency, improve on the functionality of the Bimodal Voters Accreditation Systems (BVAs)
At the presentation of the certificate of returns, the minister gave this charge to the newly elected chairmen and councillors of the area council elections held on February 12, 2022.
Aliyu stressed that in monitoring the voting process, it was observed that the process was slow at several polling units owing to malfunctioning or faulty BVAS machines.
Therefore, the minister tasked INEC to look into BVAS machines malfunctioning or allowing the electorate accredited to vote manually as the nation approaches general elections.
She said, “Today is another remarkable day in the history of FCT as we have successfully conducted one of the most peaceful elections in the third tier of government in Nigeria.
“The elections have been won and lost, but Today’s event is for the presentation of certificates of return to the newly elected chairmen of the six area councils and councillors of the 62 wards of FCT. It is worthy to note that the FCT Administration does not interfere with the conduct of the elections. This alone entails transparency.
“However, in monitoring the election process in the six area councils, the voting process was slow at several polling units because the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) machine was faulty or malfunctioning.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission should address these anomalies. Not to cancel the BVAS because I am not a contestant here.”
Editor/Suzan O.
