BVAS Glitches Cause Delays at Ekiti Polls

The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has malfunctioned at several polling units in Ekiti State, causing delays in the governorship election. According to Senator Babafemi Ojudu, who cast his ballot at Ereguru, Ward 8 in Ado-Ekiti, the process is taking longer than expected due to technical issues with the BVAS machines.

Ojudu, a former presidential adviser, praised the voter turnout, saying it's impressive, but the process is cumbersome. He noted that it took election officials nearly 30 minutes to successfully capture his fingerprints and facial data before he could vote. "The turnout is impressive and the people have come out en masse to exercise their civic responsibility. They are peaceful and orderly, as expected. However, the process is cumbersome," he said.

The senator warned that if the pace of accreditation remains unchanged, many voters could become discouraged and leave without exercising their franchise. "If it takes 30 minutes per voter, multiply that by 500 voters and people could still be here tomorrow waiting to vote. Many may become discouraged and leave without exercising their franchise. That would be unfortunate for our democracy," he said.

"The machines are malfunctioning. I don’t know what is happening in other polling units, but I am reporting directly from my polling unit. We have been here since around 8 a.m., and as of now, I am the only person who has voted. This is not good enough," Ojudu said.

Ojudu called on INEC to immediately deploy technical support to affected polling units and ensure voting proceeds without further delays. He also suggested alternative measures to prevent disenfranchisement of voters if the machines fail to function effectively.

Background on BVAS The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) is a new technology introduced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to enhance the electoral process. The system uses biometric authentication to verify the identity of voters. However, technical issues with the BVAS machines have been reported in several elections, leading to delays and disenfranchisement of voters.

INEC's Response INEC has not issued a statement on the issue yet, but Senator Ojudu urged the commission to take immediate action to address the problem. "My appeal to INEC is to urgently ensure that things are working. If the machines are not functioning properly, they should find a way to address the problem immediately. We cannot allow voters to be stranded because of equipment failure," he said.

Context: Nigeria's Electoral Reforms The Ekiti governorship election is a key test of Nigeria's electoral reforms. The BVAS technology was introduced to prevent voter disenfranchisement and ensure a free and fair election. However, the technical issues reported in several polls have raised concerns about the effectiveness of the new technology.

Tags: BVAS, INEC, Ekiti governorship election, election delay, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, Nigeria's electoral reforms Category: politics Image Query: Ekiti State governorship election, BVAS malfunction, Senator Ojudu speaking to journalists Content Status: Published Region: Nigeria Headline Variants: BVAS Malfunctions Cause Delays at Ekiti Polls, Senator Ojudu Urges INEC to Act Is Breaking: false