Insight Skepticism as 22 BVAS machines missing in Rivers State

About 22 Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) meant for governorship and house of assembly elections in Rivers State are missing, according to the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Johnson Alalibo.

According to him, 6,865 of the machines being used for the elections were successfully reconfigured, while three of the accreditation machines were damaged beyond repair.BVAS

However, the situation would not affect the process, he said, noting that the commission had sufficient backup systems.

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The REC said that INEC would not allow the missing gadgets to be used for the elections, assuring that election results would be uploaded in real time after the voting process.

The state representative of YIAGA Africa, Obinna Ebogidi, urged INEC to keep its promise of uploading results from the polling units, noting that “Our concern is that results should be uploaded from the polling units early to avoid a repeat of what transferred in the last election.”

Rivers State is seen as a critical state due to its oil. Violence and electoral manipulation are often common place in the state.

A report by the Human Rights Watch said, “Polls in Rivers State have been among the most violent and brazenly rigged in the country. In large measure this is because Rivers’ oil wealth has increased the financial spoils of political office. One Port Harcourt-based academic told Human Rights Watch that Rivers State has developed a political culture that views politics as a kind of war.”

The SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based research firm, said in a report in June 2020 that there were more than 100 active gangs in the state, mostly based around Okochiri, Port Harcourt, Ogba Egbema, Ndoni Diobu and Emuoha, the Guardian reported.