Osun Poll: Only 75 of 342 Voters Accredited in Ila Unit Over BVAS Glitch

Voters at Ojude Ala I Polling Unit in the Iperin Registration Area of Ila Local Government Area of Osun State have expressed frustration over delays in accreditation and voting following repeated glitches with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).

The polling unit has 342 registered voters, according to the voter register sighted by our reporter.

However, as of 12:40 p.m., only 75 voters had been accredited and cast their ballots, representing about 22 per cent of the registered voters. More than 260 voters were still waiting to complete the accreditation and voting process.

A member of the local chapter of the National Road Transport Workers’ Union, Comrade Olaniyan Bamiduro, said the BVAS device had malfunctioned three times since accreditation began.

“The BVAS has broken down three times. If not for this problem, I believe everybody would have been attended to by now,” Bamiduro said.

An INEC ad hoc official also confirmed the delay, explaining that efforts were ongoing to resolve the technical problems and attend to voters whose accreditation could not be completed.

The repeated malfunction has raised concerns among voters at the polling unit, with many worried that the technical challenges could further delay the electoral process.

Despite the frustration, voters remained at the polling unit, waiting for the issues with the accreditation system to be resolved.

The development adds to reports of BVAS-related challenges at some polling units across Osun State during Saturday’s governorship election.

The BVAS is used by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to verify voters through biometric authentication before they are allowed to cast their ballots.

At Ojude Ala I, the technical problems meant that a significant majority of registered voters were still waiting to exercise their franchise more than four hours after voting commenced.

The situation highlights the importance of resolving technical challenges quickly to prevent disenfranchisement and ensure that eligible voters are able to participate in the election.

As of the time of filing this report, voters at the polling unit were still waiting for accreditation to resume normally.