Voter accreditation was delayed in parts of Ekiti as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) encountered difficulties while capturing the biometrics of several elderly persons.
Residents of Ekiti in south-west Nigeria are currently voting to elect a governor.
At Polling Unit 007 in Ado ‘J’ Okesa, a 90-year-old woman was unable to complete biometric verification because the machine failed to capture her facial image and fingerprints.
Similar difficulties were reported in other polling units, where the BVAS repeatedly failed to recognise elderly voters, leading to delays and queues.
At Ugele/Arokun Ward 006 in Ikere LGA, BVAS-related difficulties slowed voting, with only three persons accredited as of 8:30 a.m.
Mercy Omeiza, the presiding officer at Polling Unit 13, Ward 20, Iyin 1, Iyin-Ekiti, told TheCable that the device consistently struggled with elderly voters, forcing officials to retry the process multiple times.
“The BVAS is not capturing most of the old people. We asked them to wait and sit while we keep trying and trying,” she said.
“I heard other polling units around are also facing the same challenge.”
Although voting commenced as scheduled, presiding officers initially prioritised elderly voters and pregnant women.
