The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) area council elections, describing the exercise as orderly, efficient and peaceful.
Prof. Amupitan spoke on Saturday in Abuja, after monitoring the process at several polling units within the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).
According to him, the performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the level of voter turnout are positive indicators for Nigeria’s democratic process.
“You can see by yourself that the election is orderly and very efficient. The election is peaceful and those are the indices of a good election,” he said.
The INEC chairman noted that the BVAS technology had significantly reduced waiting time for voters, adding that accreditation was taking less than five seconds in most polling units visited.
“So far, the efficiency of the BVAS is high and I am very satisfied because the BVAS are working effectively and efficiently.
“From what I have seen and heard from the presiding officers, it takes about 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,” Prof. Amupitan stated.
He commended the turnout of voters, attributing it to growing awareness among citizens about the importance of participating in the electoral process. He also praised the conduct of voters and security personnel deployed for the exercise.
“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 added.
Addressing reports of harassment involving a journalist, Prof. Amupitan said INEC remains committed to protecting accredited personnel.
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“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 We have not withdrawn any accreditation,” he said.
While acknowledging minor hiccups in a few polling units, particularly delays in the arrival of election materials and ad hoc staff, the INEC boss said the commission was on top of the situation.
He disclosed that as of 10:30 a.m., 99 percent of polling units across the FCT had opened, adding that INEC was monitoring developments in real time from its situation room to ensure that all eligible voters were attended to.
Polling units visited by the chairman included PU 016, Area 8, Garki, AMAC; PU 005, LGEA Primary School, Garki Village; PUs 001 and 002, 052, Junior Secondary School, Area 1; and 007 National Library, Area 2, Garki, AMAC.
He also visited the INEC FCT office, where the deployment of election result collation officers was ongoing.
