INEC says it wants extra time to reconfigure BVAS machines on the heart of final month’s disputed presidential vote.
Nigeria’s electoral fee says it has postponed by per week the elections to select new governors, saying it wanted extra time to reconfigure electronics machines which can be on the heart of a extremely contested presidential vote final month.
Initially due on Saturday, the polls to select governors in 28 of the nation’s 36 states will now be held on March 18.
The Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC) stated in a press release late on Wednesday it wanted extra time to reconfigure its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) that makes use of fingerprints and facial recognition to determine voters and transmit outcomes from polling stations.
The identical BVAS machines have been used throughout the presidential and parliamentary vote on February 25.
“This choice has not been taken calmly however it’s needed to make sure that there’s satisfactory time to again up the info saved on the over 176,000 BVAS machines from the Presidential and Nationwide Meeting elections … after which to reconfigure them for the Governorship and State Meeting elections,” INEC stated.
Observers from the European Union, the Commonwealth and different our bodies reported a spread of issues throughout the February election, together with failures in techniques designed to stop vote manipulation. They criticized INEC for poor planning and voting delays however they didn’t allege fraud.
The candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubuwho is a former Lagos governor, was declared the winner within the race to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari.
He received 8.8 million votes, forward of the contender of the principle opposition Individuals’s Democratic Get together (PDP) Atiku Abubakar, at 6.9 million, and third challenger, the Labor Get together’s Peter Obi, at 6.1 million.
The PDP and Labor Get together say large delays in voting within the presidential poll and issues in importing the election outcomes by way of the BVAS have to be investigated.
A courtroom earlier on Wednesday had rejected an opposition demand to halt the reconfiguring of BVAS so their groups may test for forensic proof of poll rigging.
