INEC PRO in Rivers State, Geraldine Ekelemu, says the mock accreditation exercise carried out across the country on Saturday, February 4, 2023, was necessary for both the commission and eligible voters.
She told Dayo Elusakin on Nigeria Info’s Hard Facts that the motive behind the exercise was to test run the Bimodal Voter Registration System, BVAS, especially in “difficult terrains”.
“It was just to give people that experience, like what persons will do when they have a new product… they put it out there and test run,” she said.
Mrs Ekelemu, who said the exercise was successful, highlighted some of the hiccups experienced during the exercise and how they were handled.
“We realized she had a headgear on and part of her ears were covered, so we asked her to adjust it...,” she disclosed.
When asked about persons whose facial features may have changed between the time they registered and the elections, the INEC PRO said there is nothing to worry about as “the BVAS is strong enough to detect the facials” and fingerprints can also be used during accreditation.
Watch the conversation in the video below:
