The Imole Campaign Council has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately address reported malfunctions of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) at polling units across Osun State.
The campaign council, in a statement issued by its spokesman, Pelumi Olajengbesi, said it had received multiple complaints about BVAS failures, describing the development as a threat to voters’ ability to participate in the ongoing governorship election.
The council alleged that several of the affected local government areas are strongholds of the Accord Party and Governor Ademola Adeleke, raising concerns over the potential impact of the technical failures on voters in those areas.
It specifically cited the governor’s polling unit, Unit 009, Ward 02, Agbogunde Sagba, in Ede North Local Government Area, where it alleged that BVAS machines had either malfunctioned or operated slowly.
According to the council, the situation had frustrated voters who were forced to remain in queues for hours under the sun while waiting to be accredited.
The campaign council also referenced observations from the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) Situation Room, an independent civil society election-monitoring platform, which it said had confirmed BVAS failures in parts of Egbedore, Ife Central, Ilesa West, Ifedayo, Ifelodun, Oriade and Ilesa East local government areas.
It further alleged that some BVAS machines were unable to capture the faces of elderly voters, resulting in some of them leaving polling queues after waiting for extended periods.
The development, the council said, was particularly concerning because prolonged accreditation delays could effectively disenfranchise eligible voters if the technical problems were not resolved before the close of voting.
The campaign council therefore urged INEC to deploy technical personnel and replacement equipment where necessary to ensure that voters affected by the malfunctions are given adequate opportunity to vote.
“Anything apart from this is an automatic disenfranchisement, which is not acceptable and a slap on democracy,” the statement said.
The council’s allegations come amid reports of BVAS-related delays from other polling locations across the state, with voters in parts of Ede North, Boripe and other areas also reportedly experiencing difficulties with accreditation.
INEC is yet to publicly respond specifically to all the locations cited by the campaign council or indicate whether additional measures are being deployed to address the reported failures.
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