Jega Urges INEC Not To Bow To Pressure Over Deployment of BVAS
A former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, Prof Attahiru Jega, wants INEC not to bow to pressure from politicians who are not in support of the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, for 2023 elections.
In an interview, Jega, who spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, the former INEC chairman stressed that with the elections just few months away, politicians would continue to show desperation, hence the need for the electoral umpire to remain vigilant and resist whatever pressure the politicians bring forward.
“I think what is most important is the capacity of the election management body to resist that pressure and having recognised that using technology will add more value to the election, they should just remain focused,”. He noted.
According to Jega, INEC now has the wherewithal to deploy BVAS, since it has now being backed legally by law, and as such, INEC must ensure it resist all pressure from any quatres who may try to dissuade it from using the system.
He also enjoined the National Assembly to ensure that INEC nominees are non-partisan, before endorsing them as INEC Resident Electoral Commissioners.
