Bayelsa, Imo, Kogi Polls: INEC Holds Mock Election October 14

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja 

Ahead of the November 11 governorship elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it will hold mock elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi States on October 14, 2023.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, 

Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, in a statement issued Monday, said the mock election would be held simultaneously.

He said a maximum of three polling units in each senatorial district have been identified across each of the three states, covering a total of nine senatorial districts and 27 polling units.

Olumekun noted that lessons learnt from the exercise will be taken into consideration in ensuring a seamless process on election day.

He noted: “The Commission met today Monday 25th September 2023 and, among other issues, reviewed the preparations for the forthcoming off-cycle governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi States scheduled for Saturday 11th November 2023.

“As was the case in recent off-cycle governorship elections, the Commission will conduct a mock accreditation using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and upload of polling units results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV). 

“The test run will take place simultaneously in the three states on Saturday 14th October 2023 from 8.30am to 2.30pm.”

Olumekun stressed that the full details of the polling units, including their locations by local government area (LGA), registration area (RA)/ward, delimitation code and number of registered voters have been uploaded to our website and social media platforms.

The Commission appealed to registered voters in the selected polling units to turn up with their Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs) for the exercise.

The commission further advised the public that this was strictly a test accreditation exercise and not the actual election.