The Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Yahaya, on Tuesday, said he was not scared of the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to Yahaya, only politicians without supporters would be scared of the latest innovation by the electoral body.
The governor made this disclosure during a campaign rally held at Garko ward, where he expressed optimism that he had a solid support base of residents.
No fewer than 2988 BVAS machines have since been deployed ahead of the 2023 elections in the state.
Yahaya had earlier visited Gona, Amada, where he solicited the support of the Lamido Gona, Abdulkadiri Abdulsalam, on his re-election bid.
“With BVAS, only politicians without supporters will be afraid of an election,” he said.
Yahaya noted that before now, card readers aided politicians to rig elections, stressing that support would suffice for those who had a track record of performance.
“Politicians were able to manipulate elections but since the introduction of BVAS, without supporters, you can’t win because it can’t be manipulated like a card reader,” he added.
Also speaking, the member representing Akko Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Usman Bello, reiterated the governor’s view about how support base would help politicians regardless of the BVAS innovation.
Bello urged residents to get their permanent voter cards “in order to elect candidates of the All Progressives Congress from top to bottom.”
Earlier, the Lamido Gona, Abdulsalam, commended the governor for his developmental strides which had helped to open the emirate. While praying for his luck, the traditional ruler assured him of the support of his residents.
As of the time of filing this report, the governor had visited three wards comprising Garko, Tukulma, and Pindiga.
