By Friday Omosola
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, inaugurated a new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) storage facility at the Commission’s State office in Akure.
INEC in a statement posted on its Facebook page Monday, announced that this commissioning marked Yakubu’s first official activity upon his arrival in Ondo State for a series of events leading up to the November 16 governorship election.
He was joined by National Commissioners, a technical team, and other senior Commission officials.
Before cutting the ribbon, Yakubu reflected on the fire that extensively damaged the previous storage facility for Smart Card Readers (SCRs) at the State office just before the 2020 governorship election.
As a result, INEC had to mobilize SCRs from its Oyo State office to conduct the election.
He highlighted that the new facility, an upgraded version of the previous container, provides a suitable environment for storing the BVAS machines.
Earlier, at the Akure airport, Yakubu addressed questions, emphasising that the Commission had gained valuable insights from the Edo governorship election and other previous polls.
He noted logistics and result management as two critical areas where improvements were needed.
Yakubu assured that voters in Ondo State would witness significant advancements in these processes on November 16.
During his stay in Ondo State, Yakubu plans to visit several local government offices of the Commission to evaluate their preparedness, oversee the mock accreditation exercise scheduled for November 6, and meet with security agencies, transport unions, and staff.
Additionally, he will engage with major stakeholders and participate in the signing of the Peace Accord organized by the National Peace Committee.
