Some officials of the All Progressives Congress have expressed their concern over the proposed use of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System for the 2023 general election.
National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, who spoke when a delegation for Commonwealth on the 2023 General Election paid a courtesy visit to the party secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday, November 23, said he doubts if the introduction of BVAS for transmission of election in real time would produce a fair result for the nation in the 2023 elections.
He added that unless INEC is prepared to assure the ruling party and Nigerians that they are 100 per cent ready, its proposed use of the technology would be shrouded in doubt.
Adamu said;
“First, I was privileged to serve as a senator. But our concern is how ready are we to deploy some of these technologies as regards transmission because we are taking a major step in transmitting election results in real time.
“To transmit results, every part of the nation – Nigeria, I’m not sure that the network covers it, I know that even in parts of Abuja, there is no network and we have from now till February when in substantial parts of the country, there is no electricity.
“INEC must assure us 100 per cent that as of when due in transmitting results, they are ready because they spoke about recharging batteries. But we heard in previous elections when it says it can’t recharge.”
The party’s National Organising Secretary, Suleiman Argungu also re-echoed same reservation about the electronic transmission of results in the 2023 election.
Argungu said;
“As a rider to what the national chairman just said about INEC transmitting results directly during the coming elections. Apart from the issue of electricity that is unstable, a lot of the villages and communities are bordering other countries, for instance my state, Kebbi was bordering two nations during the previous elections.
“You can’t get people easily on the network of Nigeria, Glo, MTN, Airtel. If you want to get them, you have to use the number of the other countries to reach them. So, during election, I don’t see how transmission of result will work. I see it coming.”