Against the backdrop of the August 15 governorship poll in Osun State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Wednesday, disclosed that 3,763 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices will be deployed for the exercise.

Making this disclosure during a press conference in Osogbo, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of INEC in Osun State, Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, also hinted that the umpire had taken delivery of 80 per cent of non-sensitive materials needed for the election.

Babalola, who restated the commission’s commitment to conduct a credible, fair and transparent election, explained that an additional 664 BVAS had been received to serve as backup for the 3,763 devices which will be used for the governorship poll.

She stated, “A total of 3,763 BVAS will be deployed for the election across all 3,763 polling units in the state for voter accreditation to ensure that only registered voters with valid Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) vote on election day. An additional 664 BVAS will also be set aside as backups.

“In addition to voter accreditation, the BVAS will be used to upload polling unit results directly to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) for enhanced transparency and for the public to have access to PU election results. All the BVAS devices are already charged, awaiting configuration, which shall be carried out close to the election.

“All sensitive and non-sensitive materials requirements for the election have been identified. Besides, 80% of non-sensitive materials required for the election have been received and deployed to LGAs and batched into Ras and Polling Units (PUs). INEC Osun State office is collaborating closely with relevant security agencies to ensure their safe storage,” Babalola posited.

While commenting on the need for effective security before, during and after the exercise, she stated that “INEC is fully prepared to work closely with all security agencies. We have identified difficult terrains and flashpoints to aid our planning, deployment strategies, and reconnaissance operations.

“The commission is engaging with security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, and we have assurance of a safe environment for election,” Babalola remarked.

The REC, however, hinted that the distribution of uncollected PVCs was carried out simultaneously with the CVR exercise, noting that the state had 1,954,800 registered voters before the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise. (The Guardian)