The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Joash Amupitan, has assured voters, political parties, and stakeholders that the Commission is fully prepared for the upcoming Ekiti State governorship election.
Amupitan gave the assurance on Friday in Ado-Ekiti during an interactive session with media executives held eight days before the poll.
The INEC chairman had earlier led a delegation of National Commissioners, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, and other senior officials on an inspection tour of the ongoing mock accreditation exercise across selected polling units in the state.
According to him, the exercise was conducted to assess the Commission’s operational readiness and test its technological infrastructure under real election-day conditions.
He explained that the mock accreditation exercise served as a quality assurance mechanism designed to verify the efficiency of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and ensure that all election-day processes function smoothly.
Amupitan disclosed that the BVAS performed effectively during the exercise, with fingerprint and facial verification taking an average of five to seven seconds per voter.
To prevent disruptions on election day, he revealed that INEC has deployed additional backup BVAS machines and technical support personnel throughout the state.
“We did not want to speak from an air-conditioned boardroom in Abuja or rely solely on paperwork. We went to the theatre of operations to see for ourselves how our systems are performing,” he said.
“The mock accreditation is essentially to test our facilities, especially our technology, and ensure that everything required for the election is functioning optimally.”
The INEC chairman added that the Commission’s technological safeguards against identity theft and result manipulation have been strengthened.
“What we observed today confirms that our technological defence against identity theft and result manipulation is robust and fully operational. We have provided upgraded backup BVAS devices and deployed technical engineers across the state. Any malfunctioning device can be replaced within minutes,” he stated.
Amupitan further stressed that the Commission’s objective is to ensure that voting begins simultaneously across all 2,445 polling units in the state by 8:30 a.m. on election day.
He disclosed that electoral officers have been directed to ensure that all logistics and materials are delivered ahead of time to prevent delays.
While expressing confidence in the Commission’s preparations, the INEC chairman identified misinformation and disinformation as the greatest threats to a peaceful election.
“The greatest threat we face is not technical failure but misinformation and disinformation. Fake news, manufactured election-day panic and unauthorized declaration of results are direct assaults on public peace and democratic stability,” he warned.
He urged political actors, media organisations, and citizens to rely on verified information and avoid spreading false reports capable of undermining public confidence in the electoral process.
