The Oyo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Adeniran Tella, stated on Friday that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) cannot be released to the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) for the local government elections scheduled for April 27.
Dr. Tella made this statement in Ibadan during a discussion with NAN on the sidelines of a quarterly consultative meeting with civil society organizations in the state.
He explained that BVAS contains sensitive voter data, and as per the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) decision, BVAS should not be released for local government elections.
Dr. Tella emphasized that what OYSIEC needs for the election is the voter register, which has already been provided to them.
The voter register will enable the state electoral body to determine the number of registered voters and those eligible to vote in the elections.
He stated, “BVAS is meant for the general elections and they are sensitive devices that we cannot afford to toy with.”
During the consultation meeting with representatives of over 25 civil society organizations, Dr. Tella reassured them that INEC would continue to collaborate with them to ensure they play vital roles in ensuring free, fair, transparent, inclusive, and credible elections.
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