The Imole Campaign Council has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to urgently resolve reported malfunctions affecting Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, devices at polling units across Osun State. The council raised the alarm through its spokesperson, Pelumi Olajengbesi, who described the reported technical difficulties as disturbing and warned that eligible voters could be disenfranchised if the problems persisted.

According to the campaign council, some BVAS devices were reportedly struggling to capture the faces of elderly voters, leaving some residents waiting for extended periods at polling centres. The council claimed that several affected areas were strongholds of the Accord Party and Governor Ademola Adeleke, including the governor’s own polling unit in Ede North Local Government Area.

It said BVAS devices at Unit 009, Ward 02, Agbogunde Sagba, where Adeleke was registered to vote, were either malfunctioning or operating slowly. The council alleged that voters at the location had spent hours in queues under the sun while waiting for the accreditation process to be completed.

“The Imole Campaign Council alerts the whole world that many of the local governments where BVAS malfunctions have been recorded are the strongholds of the Accord Party and Governor Ademola Adeleke,” the statement said.

It further claimed that the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, CJID, Situation Room had independently recorded BVAS challenges in several local government areas. The areas cited included Egbedore, Ife Central, Ilesa West, Ifedayo, Ifelodun, Oriade and Ilesa East. The council said the situation was particularly concerning for elderly voters, alleging that some BVAS machines had failed to recognise their faces despite prolonged attempts.

It warned that affected voters could be forced to abandon the process after spending hours at polling units. The BVAS malfunction in Osun issue, according to the campaign council, requires immediate intervention by INEC before voting concludes.

“The Imole Campaign Council calls on the Independent National Electoral Commission to immediately rectify these anomalies before voting ends,” Olajengbesi said.

The council further warned that failure to resolve the reported technical difficulties could amount to disenfranchisement and undermine confidence in the electoral process.

“Anything apart from this is an automatic disenfranchisement, which is not acceptable and a slap on democracy,” the statement added.