yakubu He said that the exercise will be carried out in 12 Voting Units (UP) designated in each state of the federation and four UP in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“As you know, the Commission has received the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines for the election.

“We have also diligently tested each machine at our offices across the country to ensure functionality.

“The next step is to conduct field tests across the country involving real voters.

“For this reason, and in preparation for nationwide rollout, the Commission is conducting a voter accreditation drill similar to what was done prior to the recent gubernatorial elections in Ekiti and Osun states.

“The accreditation drill will be held on February 4 in 436 polling stations nationwide.

“Twelve polling stations have been designated in each State of the Federation and four in the FCT on the equality of the 109 Senate Districts of the country for the exercise.

“A complete list of voting units, including their names and PU code numbers, as well as their distribution by state, senate district, local government, and registration area (district) will be uploaded to the Commission’s website shortly.” .

Yakubu called on registered voters in the affected voting units to show up on the scheduled date with their PVCs for the mock exercise.

He said doing so will help reassure the public about the soundness of the INEC system and strengthen its processes ahead of the general election.

He said that civil society organizations, the media and the general public were invited to observe the process.

“At the end of the exercise, the 436 BVAS machines involved will be reconfigured before they are deployed for the General Election.” Yakubu said.

Yakubu, who said the meeting was to put the finishing touches on INEC’s preparations for the 2023 general election, assured Nigerians of INEC’s commitment not to deprive any Nigerian of their right to vote.

“I am pleased to report that the movement of election materials to various locations nationwide is being completed.

“The training of officials will begin shortly. Ongoing stakeholder consultations will be intensified.

“The transportation and delivery of sensitive materials to the States of the Federation has gone a long way.

“The accreditation of national and international observers and the media is being finalized.

“Critical service providers in the transportation area have reaffirmed their commitment to efficient logistics for the movement of materials and personnel to various locations, while security agencies have reaffirmed their willingness to choose.”

Yakubu, however, said that INEC was aware that there were some issues that needed to be addressed, including the ongoing collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

He said INEC was encouraged by the determination of registered voters nationally to collect their PVCs and the actual level of collection so far.

“For example, in Lagos State, which has the highest number of registered voters in the country, the Commission handed out 940,200 PVCs from the recent voter registration exercise (June 2021 to July 2022) for both new registrants and applications. card transfer and replacement. .

“Until Thursday, a total of 839,720 PVCs have been collected, representing 89.3% of the total number.

“This meeting with the RECs will consider the reports from other states of the Federation and the commission will not hesitate to consider additional measures to guarantee that all citizens have ample opportunity to collect their PVCs before the General Elections.

“We want to assure Nigerians that the Commission will always be responsive to the needs of the electorate.”