The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Ekiti State election, Dr. Wole Oluyede, has expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), claiming that technical issues with the device delayed accreditation and voting at his polling unit.
Oluyede cast his vote at Polling Unit 6, Ward 3, located at Osagburu Family Hall, where he complained that the accreditation process was progressing slowly due to persistent malfunctioning of the BVAS machine.
Reports from the polling centre indicated that despite voting activities commencing at about 8:30 a.m., only six voters had successfully completed accreditation and voted after several hours.
Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were observed making efforts to resolve the technical issues and restore the functionality of the device to enable more voters participate in the exercise.
Speaking after voting, the PDP candidate openly criticised the conduct of the electoral process, blaming the malfunctioning equipment for disenfranchising many voters in the area.
“The electoral process is nonsense. A lot of my people are yet to vote because the BVAS is not functioning properly,” Oluyede said.
He stated that the situation was particularly frustrating because, according to him, similar technical challenges had been experienced at the same polling unit during previous elections.
“I am not happy with the current electoral process; this is not the first time that the machine is being faulty at my polling unit,” he added.
The PDP candidate disclosed that he intended to formally report the incident and other observed irregularities to the relevant authorities for necessary action.
Oluyede also called on INEC to improve transparency and efficiency in the management of elections, stressing that voters should not be prevented from exercising their constitutional rights because of technical failures.
In addition to concerns about the BVAS device, the governorship hopeful alleged that some of his supporters were being intimidated and harassed at various polling centres across the state.
He described the alleged actions as undemocratic and contrary to the principles of a free and fair election.
“Some of my followers are being harassed at the polling units by security agencies and no media is reporting the incident,” he claimed.
While expressing concern over the situation, Oluyede said he would remain at the polling area after casting his vote to monitor the process and ensure that his supporters were able to participate in the election without obstruction.
“I have cast my vote but I will still wait to ensure that all my supporters also cast their votes,” he said.
The election is being closely monitored by political parties, observers, and security agencies as voters across Ekiti State participate in the governorship poll.
