FCT election orderly, efficient, peaceful – INEC chairman

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, has expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) area council elections, describing the process as orderly, efficient and peaceful.

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Mr Amupitan made this known on Saturday in Abuja while speaking with journalists after monitoring the process at a few polling units within the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).

He maintained that the performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the level of voter turnout were positive indicators for the country’s democratic process.

He highlighted the speed of the accreditation process, noting that the BVAS technology had significantly reduced waiting times for voters.

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“You can see for yourself that the election is orderly and very efficient. The election is peaceful and those are the indices of a good election.

“So far, the efficiency of the BVAS is high and I am very satisfied because the BVAS is working effectively and efficiently.

“From what I have seen and heard from the presiding officers, it takes less than five seconds to even accredit a voter.

“So far, I can say that the election is well organised. The election is peaceful from the calm atmosphere you have seen,” Mr Amupitan said.

He commended the turnout of voters, attributing it to an increased awareness among citizens regarding the importance of participating in the electoral process.

He also praised the calm atmosphere and the conduct of both voters and security personnel.

“You can see a lot of people here and they are conducting themselves well. I learned that there are 30 security personnel that are present here.

“They are also conducting their affairs in an orderly manner. So, we hope that at the close of the poll, we will have a very successful election,” he said.

Addressing a question regarding an incident involving the harassment of a journalist by security personnel, Mr Amupitan said that INEC remained committed to the safety of all accredited personnel.

“I am only aware that there was one journalist that was arrested and immediately we intervened.

“The chief press secretary and some people spoke to the police and the person was immediately released unmolested.

“We have taken every measure to ensure that nobody is molested. Accredited journalists and observers are granted access to the places they are supposed to be. We have not withdrawn any accreditation,” he said.

The INEC boss, however, acknowledged minor hiccups in certain areas, especially the delay in the arrival of election materials and ad hoc officials in a few polling units, noting that INEC was on top of the situation.

He said that as of 10:30 a.m., 99 per cent of polling units across the FCT had successfully opened and that the commission was monitoring the situation in real-time from the situation room to ensure all eligible voters were attended to.

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Mr Amupitan pledged that the commission would not only ensure that the votes of Nigerians count in the FCT election but would also ensure further improvements, moving forward to the 2027 general elections.

“The voices of Nigerians will be held this time around. The BVAS, as far as I am concerned, is working very well.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some of the polling units visited by Mr Amupitan included: PU 016, Area 8, Garki, AMAC; PU 005, LGEA Primary School, Garki Village; PUs 001, 002, and 052, Junior Secondary School, Area 1; and PU 007 National Library, Area 2, Garki, AMAC.

The chairman also visited the INEC FCT office, where the deployment of election result collation officers was ongoing.

(NAN)