Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has hailed the seamless conduct of the Presidential elections, attributing the development to the deployment of Biomodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in the process by the electoral umpire.

Sirika spoke to newsmen, yesterday, immediately after he cast his vote at Sirika Ward, Polling Unit 004 located at Dubawa Gari Primary Tank in Dutsi Local Government Area of Katsina State.

This is even as he dismissed insinuations that the recent Central Bank Of Nigeria (CBN) cashless policy and fuel crisis will affect the outcome of the polls.

He said the introduction of BVAS by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the process is a masterstroke that has come to put paid to the hitherto worrisome incidence of rigging that characterised elections in the past.

“I’m very excited and I’m very happy. I’m very glad and I thank technology, that the voting is so smooth, peaceful and without rancour. This is a departure from what we experienced in 2003, 2007 and 2011.”

The Minister of Aviation recalled where, he said, the conduct of voting during elections was characterised by “ballot stuffing in the boxes, snatching of the boxes themselves, thuggery and beating up and scaring and intimidating voters. And all of those bad things that are used to happen, today they are history.

“We are here within our people, peacefully exercising our rights, as you have witnessed, with no rancour whatsoever. And it’s so smooth and efficient, and the process happens within minutes. I came here within six and half minutes. From the time I greeted everybody to the time I was in the queue, to the confirmation by the BVAS all the way to the ballot paper and thumb-printing and coming out is an exercise that took me less than six and half minutes.

After five trials, the former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, could not vote owing to failure of the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS)) to recognise either his face or finger print.

The incident, which occurred at his Bamaina Primary School 111 Ward 03 in Birnin Kudu Council of Jigawa consequently prevented him from casting his ballot and was subsequently advised to come back for a fresh trial. However, his son, Mustapha, who is the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), successfully voted.

Mustapha, however, commended the organisation of the polling process, saying it was very smooth. According to him, it took less than two seconds to get himself accredited before casting his ballot.

The former governor, who confirmed his inability to be accredited, however, was upbeat about the machine picking up later. At the time of filing this report, the former governor was still being expected to make a return to the polling unit.

According to him, there was nothing to be scared of, noting there must be errors in every human endeavors. His words, “there is no way INEC will be 100 perfect, it is not possible, there must some lapses.”

Asked if he was confident that the party would win, the former governor said nobody forms political party to lose elections. “We have done our best, sold our manifesto and programme to the people, and it is now left for them to pass the final judgment either way they chose to vote is their decision.”

“So, yes it is very smooth and yes it is very efficient. Yes, we see the development of democracy. In 2007 I was a candidate for they Senate. Even before collation started they had announced the winner, which was not me. It was the candidate of the other party, the PDP at that time. He was announced as winner even before the collation.

“Today it is not possible. Today your vote will be counted and it will count.”
He urged Nigerian to be optimistic and “hopeful that a candidate and the party we chose will emerge, by the grace of God, as victorious.

He dismissed suggestions that the cash crunch and fuel issues in the country will affect the outcome of the elections.

He said, “human being have no price. Voters have no price. He who volunteers to serve you is more than he who you paid money to serve you. These people understand their rights; they understand their purpose of being here, to exercise their fundamental rights, which they are doing with no rancour.
“Nobody was paid a dime to come here, and this polling unit is packed full. Therefore, the issue of cashless policy affecting elections, some people are just trying to hide their weaknesses and their failure to be able to serve the people well. People have been here long before, they understand the effect of governance. They understand why they should vote. Noble men and women are coming to vote for this election.
“Therefore I think it is wrong and a misnomer for people to continue to peddle that cashless policy is affecting the election, how? You have seen for yourselves here.”