- Says it fully supports their use
BY BENEDICT NWACHUKWU, ABUJA
The ruling All Progressives Congress on Thursday denied reports of it kicking against the use of Biomodal Voters Accreditation System and the INEC Results Viewing Portal in the conduct of the 2023 general election and threw its weight behind it.
The move was made known to the media by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, while refuting reports on some national dailies that the Party’s National Chairman, Sen Abdullahi Adamu rejected the use of the duo by the INEC to conduct the forthcoming elections.
Morka said the National Chairman was misquoted by some segments of the media.
“A section of the media is awash with comments credited to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu on the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the Results Viewing Portal (IReV), otherwise known as electronic transmission of election results, for the 2023 general elections.
“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.
“To be clear, Chairman Adamu did not kick against the deployment of BVAS or electronic transmission of results as erroneously reported by sections of the media.”
The APC Spokesman wondered how the party under whose administration the technologies were invented and approved would go back to reject what it invented.
“The APC administration of President Muhammadu Buhari midwifed the successful reform of the Electoral Act, the introduction of (BVAS) among other technological innovation, 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.”
Morka argued that claims in some quarters that the APC is kicking against the use of technology to conduct the forthcoming elections is a figment of imagination of those peddling the rumours adding that the party is full support of the use of technology as deemed necessary and fit by the Electoral Umpires.
He noted, however, that the Party’s expression of the fears of any form of disappointment that may occur during the conduct show its concern to have a free, fair, transparent and credible elections and does not by any means amount to rejection of it.
“The National Chairman, Sen Abdullahi Adamu reacted to a question by the visitors who were here at the national secretariat to find out our areas of concern in the electoral processes. He expressed concern based on facts on ground and that does not mean he rejected the use of BVAS and IReV. We are fully in support of the conduct of free, fair, transparent and credible elections.”
