The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Wole Oluyede, has expressed frustration over the performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), alleging that technical failures disrupted voting at his polling unit during the election.
Oluyede, who cast his vote at Unit 6, Ward 3, located at Osagburu Family Hall, said the accreditation process was slowed significantly by the malfunctioning device, preventing many voters from exercising their franchise.
According to him, only six voters had been accredited several hours after polling commenced at about 8:30 a.m., a development he described as unacceptable.
Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were observed making efforts to resolve the technical issues and restore the functionality of the BVAS machine at the polling unit.
Speaking shortly after voting, the PDP candidate strongly criticised the conduct of the process, blaming the faulty accreditation device for disenfranchising many voters.
“The electoral process is nonsense. A lot of my people are yet to vote because the BVAS is not functioning properly. I am not happy with the current electoral process. This is not the first time the machine has failed at my polling unit,” Oluyede said.
He added that he would formally report the alleged irregularities to the appropriate authorities for investigation and necessary action.
Oluyede also called on INEC to strengthen transparency and efficiency in the management of elections, particularly in the deployment and operation of electoral technology.
Beyond the technical concerns, the PDP governorship candidate accused security operatives of harassing some of his supporters at various polling units across the state.
He described the alleged actions as undemocratic and detrimental to the credibility of the electoral process.
“Some of my followers are being harassed at the polling units by security agencies, and no media is reporting the incident. I have cast my vote, but I will remain here to ensure that all my supporters are able to vote as well,” he stated.
The complaints came amid ongoing voting activities across Ekiti State, where residents turned out to elect a new governor.
Electoral officials continued efforts to address reported challenges at affected polling units as the exercise progressed.
