Andy Esiet, Calabar
The member representing Abi/Yakurr federal constituency in the House of Representative, Dr Alex Egbona has described the use of the Biomodal Voter Accreditation System (BIVAS) for the just concluded presidential and National Assembly elections as a perfect system.
Egbona who said this in an interview with some newsmen in his country home in Ekureku in Abi on Saturday, noted, “this is a perfect system minus the few problems. This system or technic is one which everyone can vote” .
With the introduction of BVAS machine, he said would amount to a sheer waste of time for anybody to try to disrupt the election process adding that reforms and the introduction of the BVAS machine has enhanced the electoral process; making it possible for candidates who are popular to win elections without anyone being able to hijack the process, and wondered what the miscreants who snatched elections materials as reported were going to do with them.
He however said that “BIVAS is slow and not being able to capture everybody and In my area for instance we have 1,300 voters, not all voted. INEC should be sincere in the business. If you employ officials from the University of Calabar to do election outside, no vehicle and they are stressed is not good as some returning officers arrive their stations late. Some Presiding Officers go to a ward with 15 units with just one vehicle, how does he monitor the other units?
He however advised the electoral body to devolve some of its responsibilities to political parties by allowing parties to do their tags instead of INEC making tags for parties.
He said the now though is good, ” allows miscreants to destroy the machines. INEC should come out with a system to protect the machines and also easier for voters to vote on time. INEC should be sincere in addressing the issue of logistics arrangements, some of the returning officers are stranded and cannot assess their place of duty, INEC is printing tags for party agents and other challenges are constraints against smooth conduct of elections”.
The lawmaker commended the effort of INEC saying “the system now is good unlike in the past when one gets the ticket of the ruling party automatically you have won an election but they should come with a system to improve on current situation” .
Meanwhile results of the presidential and national assembly elections are still being expected as at the time of filing this report.
