The Imole Campaign Council has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to urgently resolve reported Osun BVAS malfunction incidents at polling units across the state. The campaign council, which supports Governor Ademola Adeleke, said technical difficulties with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System were creating difficulties for voters and could prevent eligible citizens from exercising their franchise.
In a statement issued by its spokesperson, Pelumi Olajengbesi, the council described the reported problems as disturbing, particularly claims that some BVAS devices were unable to capture the faces of elderly voters. The council alleged that the problems were being recorded in several local government areas considered strongholds of the Accord Party and the incumbent governor.
According to the statement, Adeleke’s own polling unit was among locations where voters reportedly experienced difficulties. The council said BVAS machines at Unit 009, Ward 02, Agbogunde Sagba, in Ede North Local Government Area, were either malfunctioning or operating slowly.
It alleged that voters had been forced to wait for hours in queues under the sun because of the accreditation difficulties. The statement said: “The Imole Campaign Council alerts the whole world that many of the local governments where BVAS malfunctions have been recorded are the strongholds of the Accord Party and Governor Ademola Adeleke.”
It added: “In fact, at the governor’s polling unit, Unit 009, Ward 02, Agbogunde Sagba, in Ede North LGA, BVAS machines have either malfunctioned or have been annoyingly slow, frustrating voters who stood in the queue for hours under the scorching sun.” The campaign council also cited observations attributed to the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) Situation Room.
It said the civil society organisation had confirmed BVAS failures in polling units across Egbedore, Ife Central, Ilesa West, Ifedayo, Ifelodun, Oriade and Ilesa East local government areas. The council further claimed that elderly voters were particularly affected because some devices allegedly failed to capture their faces.
“The situation is deeply concerning as some BVAS machines could not capture the faces of most elderly voters at the polling units, forcing them to leave the queue after hours of standing,” the statement said.
The Imole Campaign Council urged INEC to intervene before the conclusion of voting and ensure that eligible voters affected by the technical problems were given an opportunity to vote. It warned that unresolved accreditation failures could amount to disenfranchisement. The council said the electoral commission should treat the reported problems as an urgent matter and deploy solutions before polling stations close.
“The Imole Campaign Council calls on the Independent National Electoral Commission to immediately rectify these anomalies before voting ends. Anything apart from this is an automatic disenfranchisement, which is not acceptable and a slap on democracy,” the statement added.
The development adds to concerns over the smooth conduct of the Osun governorship election, with electoral officials, political parties and voters closely monitoring the accreditation process as voting continues across the state.
