BVAS Machines Fail, Vote-Buying Reported as Ekiti Election Marred by Chaos
Voters in Ekiti State faced a messy election on Saturday as biometric machines failed to recognize elderly citizens and party agents were accused of buying votes at multiple polling units, casting doubt on the integrity of the governorship race.
The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), an electronic device used to verify voters’ identities, malfunctioned at several locations. In Ado-Ekiti, the machine failed to capture elderly voters, leaving them waiting indefinitely. “I am here to cast my vote but the INEC officials told us that BVAS is not capturing the aged voters, saying we should wait,” one unidentified older man told reporters [177766]. In Ikere, the same problem blocked voters whose faces the machine could not recognize. Witnesses said several prospective voters left their polling units in disappointment after standing in line but failing to complete verification [177752].
Meanwhile, observers and journalists reported widespread vote buying and electoral fraud at various polling stations. Party agents used tactics to induce voters, according to witnesses, and election monitors documented the alleged malpractice [177765]. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate, Dare Bejide, said law enforcement officers did not act on complaints he raised about irregularities at polling stations [177762].
Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State, however, praised the election as transparent and peaceful, despite the allegations. “I can assure you that the election, so far, is going very well, very peaceful, transparent and, of course, the people are working together with the relevant security agencies,” he said. Sani did not directly address the vote-buying claims [177754].
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele said the election will help guide future amendments to the Electoral Act, calling the process a test of Nigeria’s electoral system [177756]. He noted that people are now more aware of electoral offenses and their consequences [177757]. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has not yet commented on the technical failures or the number of voters affected [177766][177752].