Voter registration: NDC slams EC’s refusal to share serial numbers of BVR kits

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has expressed strong reservations about the Electoral Commission’s refusal to disclose the serial numbers of the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits used in the ongoing Limited Voter Registration exercise.

The controversy arose after the opposition NDC wrote to the EC to provide them with the serial numbers of the BVR kits currently in use for the ongoing Limited Voter Registration process.

But the commission in a statement on May 9, said that releasing the serial numbers to external parties could pose major risks to the security and integrity of the electoral system and its operations.

Tanko Rashid-Computer, the NDC’s Deputy Director of Elections and IT, who spoke to Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News, said the explanation by the commission is false.

He argued that the Commission’s position is unfounded, pointing out that during elections, the serial numbers of the Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs) are routinely provided to them and noted on the pink sheets.

“What are they talking about , why do they have to tell lies? What do they have to hide? During election time, they give us the serial numbers of BVDs, that is the ones we use to vote. The serial numbers are given to us and they are written on the pink sheets.

“There is a column where you have to write the serial numbers of the BVDs, so, how come when it comes to the registration they don’t want to give us the serial numbers? It is like they have something to hide,” he stated.

-citinewsroom