In preparation for the upcoming Edo and Ondo governorship elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has called upon 246 new applicants for voter registration whose biometric details did not meet the necessary standards for seamless accreditation using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).

This system is a mandatory requirement for accreditation under Section 47(2) of the Electoral Act 2022.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, announced this in a statement. He stated that validation would occur in the same locations where the applicants registered during the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) from next Monday to Sunday.

Although the 246 applicants represent only 0.1% of the 269,992 new registrants (pre-ABIS) in the two states, INEC is committed to ensuring every Nigerian can exercise their right to vote. Olumekun mentioned that the affected registrants would be contacted through the mobile numbers and other contact details provided during the CVR and urged them to participate in the validation exercise.

“Following the conclusion of the exercise, the commission displayed the register for one week (12-19 June 2024) in the 395 wards across the two states for claims and objections by Nigerians as provided in Section 19 of the Electoral Act 2022,” Olumekun explained. “This manual process was followed by a further clean-up of the register using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), which revealed that the biometric details of 246 applicants (82 in Edo State and 164 in Ondo State) did not meet the required threshold for seamless accreditation using BVAS.”

The distribution of the 82 registrants in Edo State includes:

– 10 from Uwessan Ward 1 in Essan Central LGA

– 2 from Emu Ward in Essan South LGA

– 69 from Ofunama Ward in Ovia South West LGA

– 1 from Irhue Ward in Uhunmwonde LGA

The 164 registrants in Ondo State are from:

– 11 from Ofosu/Onisere Ward in Idanre LGA

– 1 from Ugbo Ward V in Ilaje LGA

– 8 from Imoru/Arimogija Ward and 144 from Okeluse Ward in Ose LGA

A comprehensive list, including their Polling Units, has been uploaded to the INEC website and social media platforms for immediate action by the affected registrants and public information. Upon completion of the exercise next week, the commission will provide a final detailed breakdown of the new registrants in both states and a timetable for collecting Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).