Prof. Ayobami Salami, the Ekiti State Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), has stated that the commission will not disappoint Nigerians in the 2023 general election.
After observing the mock accreditation for the election in the state on Saturday, Salami made this statement to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ado-Ekiti.
Salami added that Nigerians should anticipate a successful and efficient election in 2023 after describing the state’s accreditation as a success.
“I am very happy that the mock accreditation went very well in all the Polling Units ( PUs) that we visited, people came out and there was no challenge recorded.
“We are very optimistic that what we witnessed today will be replicated later this month and later in March in the general election.
“The people of Ekiti and Nigeria should expect efficiency, free and fair elections, and they should expect that we are going to do our best,” he said.
Salami who said that INEC had received enough Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for election the state, urged the electorate to come out and vote on election day.
“Ekiti people have commended the deployment of BVAS and I want to assure them that INEC will not disappoint them,” he said.
NAN reporter who monitored the mock accreditation in the state, reports that although there was low turn out of registered voters, the BVAS functionality was commended by those who participated in the exercise.
Mr Adewale Olalekun, Electoral Officers 1 at PU-017, in front of Baisanya’s House/ Baisanya Adebomi, in Ado Y Dallimore Ward, Ado LG, Ekiti Central, said the process was seamless and it took average of 11 seconds to accredit a voter.
“The BVAS has been working perfectly. So far we have accredited 11 register voters because the turned out is not much. We 608 registered voters at this PU,” Olalekun said.
He said that there was no any challenge experience at the PU.
A registed voter at PU15, front of Dele Ilori’s House/Basiri II, Ado “J” Okesa Ward, Ado Local Government, Ekiti Central, Chief Fakorede Oluwole, also commended INEC for the mock accreditation.
Oluwole said that the process of accreditation was very fast, adding that it could be that fast during election time it will be commendable.
Mr Oluwasegun Ikusika, INEC ICT staff at PU001, St Philips B/Anaye1, Aramoko 1, Ekiti West LG, said that the exercise started at 8.32am and 31 out of 413 registered voter had been accredited.
He said that it took less than 30 seconds to accredit a voter.
At PU021, Adico Aramoko District Comprehensive School, Igemo, Aramoko LG, Ekiti West only 25 registered voters had turned out for the exercise as at 1pm.
The Chief Community Orientation Officer of the National Orientation Agency, Mr Ademola Adeniyi, who monitored the exercise at PU said that the process of accreditation was very fast.
“Though the turnout is low, maybe because it is market day, the process has been very fast without any challenge,” he said.
Adeniyi expressed confidence that the turn out during the general elections would be impressed because the agency was already do a lot of sensitisation.
Some of the registered voters who spoke to NAN said they were already familiar with the accreditation device which was used in the state 2022 governorship election.
A Businessman close to PU 15, Basiri, Seyi Oladeji, said he participated in the governorship election and the BVAS worked well.
“We already have confidence in BVAS when it was used for our state election. I don’t think there is need for me to leave my business now and go when there is even no election taken place,” Oladeji said. (NAN)
