INEC gives reason for decline in number of 2023 voters
…..BVAS worked perfectly
Chima Azubuike
The Independent National Electoral Commission, has explained the reason for decline of voters in the just concluded 2023 general elections, saying that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System worked perfectly in reducing cooked figures.
Our correspondent reports that based on INEC report in 2019 only 35 per cent of voters voted, while in 2023 it dropped to 27 per cent out of 87m Permanent Voter’s Cards collected.
According to Gombe State’s Public Affairs Officer, Mohorret Bigun, the BVAS worked perfectly, unlike the wild believe that it hampered the process.
Bigun made this disclosure in his presentation on ‘lessons, opportunities of for political and electoral reforms from the election’, organised by Leadtots Development Initiative with support from National Endowment for Democracy, Washington DC.
He noted that electoral process in the country has become more transparent adding, “We have gone past the era where people wrote results from their houses. Previously, results were manipulated.”
On the decline of voters in the just concluded election, Bigun added, “the introduction of BVAS reduced manipulation of votes. The BVAS worked perfectly, for those saying BVAS didn’t work, it worked perfectly.”
Also Speaking, Senior Programme Officer of Leadtots Development Initiative, Seun Justin, lamented the performance of women in Nigeria, especially Gombe State.
He said, “This one is a response concerning the 2023 general elections, we know that the election has not been favourable for the women especially in Gombe State, so this is to evaluate the elections, how it went and the impacts of the campaigns and the entire electoral process on women candidacy.
“Examine political reforms that can ensure that women emerges political positions in future also consider the experiences of those who contest elections, what we can learn. if we can also deduce ways of encouraging more women to political positions that’s the essence of the meeting today.”
He added that not like women are not interested but the needed opportunities have not been available, adding that inclusion of women would ensure their speedy emancipation.
“It has become obvious that women are ready what is missing is the organisation and also the empowerment from our meeting
“Another key issue is how women can lobby our political party leaders, and the governor himself to ensure that women have upper hand in this administration because the more women that are empowered politically, the more we talk about women emancipation happening they will also look at political party reforms,” he added.
On her part, Development Consultant, Hannatu Yaro, called for women to support themselves, adding that there are many qualified ones.
Yaro said, “We should be able to support ourselves as women towards attaining various positions of authority.”
