Delta By-Election: Voters Report BVAS Challenges

Some voters have reported difficulties with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) during the ongoing Udu State Constituency by-election in Delta State.

Voters at Ward 1, Unit 004, said they could not complete the accreditation process after the BVAS failed to capture their photographs or accept their fingerprints.

One voter, Uloho Bridget Onogwu, said she was initially accredited but could not proceed after the system failed to capture her photograph and later rejected her fingerprint.

“I usually vote at Unit 4. So, today I came. I was accredited, and when I got to where I would be snapped, they said they could not snap me,” Onogwu said.

“Then, okay, my thumb now, I should thumbprint. It rejected it.”

She said she had observed delays before her turn because the BVAS was malfunctioning.

“I saw that people were experiencing, there was delay because the BVAS were not functioning properly,” she said.

“They would snap and snap and snap before they were able to get somebody. So when they got to me, the thing just happened.”

Onogwu said she had reported the issue to the council chairman and was still waiting for another opportunity to attempt accreditation.

“Some other people are still there now. I am still waiting again so I can try. It is my right, my civil right, and I have been deprived,” she said.

She called for improvements to the accreditation process and suggested deploying more than one BVAS machine to polling units with large numbers of voters.

Another voter, Joseph, said he also couldn’t vote after the BVAS camera failed to capture his photograph.

“So I am here to vote but the camera cannot pick up my picture. So that is why I could not vote. So I am annoyed now,” he said.

“I was supposed to vote and get back home. So now I am not able to vote. So I am still waiting.”

 Joseph urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to address the technical problems.

Voters called for improvements to the accreditation process to reduce delays and ensure eligible voters can complete the voting process.