Dr. Adeniran Tella, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Oyo State, announced on Friday that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) will not be provided to the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) for the upcoming local government elections set for April 27.
Speaking in Ibadan during a sideline discussion with NAN at the quarterly consultative meeting with civil society organizations, Tella clarified that BVAS includes confidential voter information and as per the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), it will not be released for local government polls.
“OYSIEC has already been furnished with the voter register for the election, which will enable them to determine the number of registered voters and those eligible to participate in the polls. BVAS, however, is specifically designed for national elections and involves sensitive equipment that must be handled with care,” highlighted Tella.
Addressing representatives from more than 25 civil society organizations during the consultation meeting, Tella reiterated INEC’s commitment to collaborating with them to ensure they play crucial roles in facilitating free, fair, transparent, inclusive, and credible elections.