The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced plans to conduct a mock accreditation exercise in Anambra State on Saturday, October 25, as part of preparations for the upcoming governorship election scheduled for November.
The exercise will test the upgraded Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and assess the efficiency of result uploads to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal. According to a statement issued by Victoria Eta-Messi, Director of Voter Education and Publicity, the mock exercise will be held at selected polling units across the state’s three senatorial districts.
“The mock accreditation exercise will allow INEC to test the upgraded BVAS, assess its response time, and test the uploading of results on the INEC Result Viewing Portal ahead of the main election,” Eta-Messi stated.
Polling units selected for the exercise include locations in Awka South, Idemili North, Oyi, Anambra East, Aguata, and Orumba North local government areas. INEC has urged voters in these areas to participate actively, emphasizing that their involvement is critical to refining the commission’s operational and technological systems.
In a related development, INEC announced that the distribution of permanent voter cards (PVCs) for newly registered voters will commence on Wednesday, October 22, and continue through Sunday, October 26. Voters who participated in the recent Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise are advised to collect their PVCs from the registration centers where they initially enrolled.
INEC reiterated that PVC collection is strictly personal and warned that proxy collection will not be permitted under any circumstances.
“All registered voters are strongly encouraged to collect their PVCs within the designated timeframe to ensure eligibility to vote in the upcoming Anambra governorship election,” the commission stated.
INEC reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, operational efficiency, and stakeholder confidence as preparations for the 2025 Anambra governorship election intensify.