US backs INEC over BVAS, threatens to ban visas for election riggers

• INEC admits difficulties in protecting server from hackers• Identifies 2.7 million unqualified registered voters in Kano• IGP and intelligence community warn political parties against assaults and violence• 9.3 million unused PVC in INEC vaults, according to Utomi

The United States (US) has threatened sanctions, including visa restrictions, on anyone who interferes with the democratic process or incites violence in the 2023 general election.

The United States also threw its weight behind the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to roll out the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and electronic transmission of ballot results.

Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, Rolf Olson, gave the warning on behalf of the U.S. government at the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Alumni Association's annual seminar on "Promoting the 'Electoral Integrity in Nigeria: Prospects and Challenges' in Abuja yesterday.< /p>

Olson, however, maintained that the United States does not have a candidate in the next election, while he supports all efforts to ensure the integrity of the 2023 election.

Recall that the US government imposed visa restrictions on certain individuals for their actions during the November 2019 elections in Kogi and Bayelsa and in the run-up to the September and October 2020 elections in Edo and Ondo.

While the United States did not reveal the identities of those who were banned, it said the decision reflected its commitment to strengthening democracy in Nigeria.

On the 2023 election, Olson said, "The United States does not support any individual candidate or party in this election cycle. Our interest is in supporting credible and transparent elections that reflect the will of Nigerian voters, in a peaceful process. Full stop.

“Persons seeking to undermine the democratic process, including through violence, may be denied visas to the United States. We have imposed visa restrictions in the past against those responsible or complicit in undermining the democratic process, and remain fully prepared to do so again in the context of the upcoming elections. »

He advised parties, candidates and their supporters to avoid language that tries to 'guarantee' victory, adding that there is no real democratic election in which the outcome is predicted.< /p>

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Voter Information and Education Committee, Festus Okoye, revealed that 176,846 BVAS would be deployed in all voting units across the country, adding that the Commission will update provision at least two BVAS devices as backup for each. the 8,809 recording areas.

While lamenting that the Commission's platforms have always been under attack from political actors and anonymous individuals and groups using hackers, Okoye said INEC faces the huge challenge to protect its platforms and assets ahead of the general election. He assured that INEC's data recovery centers will be upgraded and all its platforms improved.

Okoye urged Nigerians to be vigilant in protecting their votes on election day, adding that INEC is firm in its determination to hold free, fair, transparent and inclusive elections.

"The Commission will continue to be open and transparent in its technological innovations because electoral matters are public affairs and the public has a right to know what the Commission is doing."

Furthermore, the INEC pledged to punish officials implicated in violations and underage voter registration during the last Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise. The Commission, however, maintained that evidence of minor and multiple registrations in its preliminary voter register is a "commitment to transparency".

Okoye said the Commission cannot rule out infringements by its registrars by allowing these ineligible people onto the registry in the first place.

“So far, the Commission has collected complaints and objections online. We will do the same for the manual process. At the end of the exercise, all complaints and objections made will be dealt with. In this way, citizens contribute to the strengthening of our electoral process. We implore the public to follow the procedures and report these objections for necessary action by the Commission.

Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Association Vice President and former head of INEC's Publicity Division Andy Ezeani, who moderated the seminar, credited the US government for establishing the fellowship. INEC, at the end of its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), yesterday identified 2,780,756,...