The 14 Bimodal Accreditation System (BVAS) machines in Plateau State which were declared missing have been found.
The controversy surrounding the missing BVAS took a dramatic twist on Tuesday when the RACTech Officer in charge of Naraguta B, Mr Abubakar Husseini, showed up at the Jos North INEC office, Tudun-Wada in Jos, three days after the conclusion of the Governorship and state house of Assembly elections
Answering question from inquisitive Journalist at the INEC office on Tuesday, The RACTech Officer said, “I am the RATech for Naraguta B, and BVAS deployed for the elections in Naraguta B are under my custody.
“There was tension and the other guys wanted to run away with the BVAS and I told them to wait and submit the BVAS only to me because they are under my custody. I took their phone number and their polling units".
He went on to explain that “Actually, yesterday (Monday) I wanted to submit them but didn't because I went to our WhatsApp platform and I see that there was tension going on in INEC office and I said I can’t come".
He added that "I communicated with my LGA RACTech who is my superior and asked if I can come with the BVAS to the office and he said yes.”
The Naraguta B, RACTech said he was given the BVAS Sunday morning by the absconded INEC adhoc staff.
“I retrieve the 14 BVAS on Sunday morning and I kept them for safety. Because we have a WhatsApp platform together with the IPO One, I asked them to submit the BVAS to me. So, I met them(BVAS) at the RAC Centre (Government College, Jos).”
Meanwhile the Jos North Local Government Technical Supervisor RACTech Officer Mr. John Sokzen Cornelius who is a staff of INEC ICT Department said that Naraguta B RACTech Officer in question only called him in the early hours of Tuesday (21st March, 2023) confirming that he is in possession of the 13 BVAS declared missing.
“To the best of my knowledge, 14 BVAS were missing, 14 officials of 14 Polling Units (PUs) absconded with our materials including BVAS. The issue was communicated and has escalated to the National level".
Some party agents at the INEC collation center for the Governorship and State house of Assembly election on Monday, had raised concern over the missing BVAS and went further to specifically call for the arrest of the Chairman of Jos North local government area, Shehu Bala whom the accused of holding brief and kknoing the wherabout of the ad hoc staff who dispaperd with the BVAS machines.