LG polls: Benue ex-SIEC Chairman, Gov’s aide bicker over BVAS implementation

Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, and the former Chairman of the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC), Dr. John Chen, exchanged words on Monday over the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in the conduct of local government elections in the state.

Governor Alia, speaking through his Technical Adviser on Publicity and Strategy, Solomon Lorpev, emphasized his commitment to ensuring credible elections.

Reacting to the claim by the  former chairman of Benue State Independent Electoral Commission, Dr John Chen stated that the state government was not comfortable with the use of BVAS.

In an interview with our correspondent on Monday, Dr. Chen accused the state government of opposing his plan to implement BVAS in the local government elections.

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According to Dr. Chen, “I started having problems with the state government after I paid a courtesy visit to the Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC in the state and requested the release of BVAS to help us conduct credible local government elections.

“I led officers of the commission to pay a courtesy visit on July 8, 2024, where we sought INEC’s cooperation in providing the necessary resources to facilitate the conduct of credible and transparent local government elections.

“I requested a soft copy of the registered voters and BVAS for the elections. I also asked for training and technical support, but not long after the visit, I started receiving calls questioning why I was requesting BVAS.

“I did not realize that the state was dissatisfied with it until I sought clarification from the national secretariat of the party to determine the authentic chairman of the party in the state.”

In a swift response, the governor’s aide, Solomon Lorpev, described Governor Alia as a transparent leader committed to holding credible local government elections in the state.

Lorpev stated, “The governor is not concerned whether BVAS is used or not, as long as the election is credible and transparent.

However, it’s important to note that BVAS is not under the state government’s control; it is exclusively managed by INEC.

“BSIEC is an independent commission, and the governor has no intention of interfering with its activities.”

Recall that the state governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, had, the previous Friday, removed the state electoral boss based on the recommendation of the state assembly.

The state house of assembly had earlier recommended the removal of the BSIEC Chairman, accusing him of poor judgment.

The governor subsequently swore in a new chairman, Barrister Richard Telumun.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE