2023 Elections: APC Speaks On Kicking Against Bimodal Voter Accreditation System

The ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC), on Thursday, denied media reports that it kicked against the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for the 2023 general elections.

This development was triggered after the APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, on Wednesday, expressed concern over the use of BVAS and other technology to transmit results electronically.

Adamu raised the concern when he received a Commonwealth delegation on the 2023 general election in his office at the party's secretariat on Wednesday.

In reaction to media reports in a statement on Thursday, the APC Spokesman, Felix Morka, said the ruling party would never kick against the use of technology in the 2023 election.

He stated that the party’s national chairman was quoted out of context concerning his position on the use of BVAS and other technology during Wednesday’s meeting.

He said the APC would continue to remain committed to the highest level of electoral transparency despite Adamu having tasked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on its readiness to deploy the technology in 2023.

The statement read, “A section of the media is awash with comments credited to the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, on the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and the Results Viewing Portal, otherwise known as the electronic transmission of election results, for the 2023 general election.

“Media reports that chairman Adamu kicked against INEC’s decision to deploy BVAS and electronic transmission of results is patently false and constitutes an unfair misrepresentation of the National Chairman’s comments.

“At a meeting with the Commonwealth pre-election delegation yesterday, Wednesday, November 23, 2022, in response to a question regarding the country’s preparations for next year’s election, the National Chairman noted that, while preparations were in top gear, he tasked INEC to take effective steps to bridge any gaps that may be created by electricity and telecommunications network challenges in certain outlying voting districts in the country in order to ensure a smooth and successful deployment of BVAS and other technologies to ensure free and transparent elections.”

“The APC administration of President Muhammadu Buhari midwife the successful reform of the Electoral Act, and BVAS, among other technological innovations and has superintended the conduct of credible, free, fair and transparent elections in Edo, Anambra, Ekiti and Osun States.

“Our Party and government remain committed to the highest levels of electoral transparency and democratic consolidation in our country.”