Voters in the ongoing Ondo State Governorship election have raised concerns over malfunctioning Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines, impacting the voting process in some polling units.
One voter, Omotayo Akinlami, expressed frustration at the malfunctioning BVAS at Polling Unit 004 in Apoi Ward 2, Kiribo, Ese-Odo Local Government Area. He suggested that manual accreditation should be allowed to ensure a smoother voting process.
Akinlami explained, “The electronic system they brought is not working, it is not functioning. So I will advise that we should do manual accreditation so that we can vote and go. This is because whenever they do manual accreditation, the votes will be counted and also whenever they do electronic accreditation, the votes will be counted, so we should do manual accreditation and go. It is not working.”
He further criticized the inefficiency of the electronic system, noting the time-consuming process of capturing voters and the potential impact on voter turnout.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had earlier deployed 4,002 BVAS machines for the election, with 812 reserve machines in case of technical issues. INEC officials had also ensured voter awareness and training of ad-hoc staff to oversee the electoral process.
Despite these preparations, voters continue to face challenges at polling units due to BVAS malfunctions. The call for manual accreditation as an alternative solution highlights the importance of ensuring a fair and efficient voting process in the ongoing election.