The presidential and National Assembly elections held across the country on Saturday experienced some glitches in some polling units. In some polling units, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machine malfunctioned while there was late arrival of election materials and ad hoc staff in some other places.
Voters across the geopolitical regions expressed disappointment over the development, which left some Nigerians disenfranchised.
In Bayelsa State, angry voters crowded INEC’s Yenagoa office to protest their inability to vote due to a lack of sensitive materials.
But INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner for Bayelsa State, Emmanuel Alex-Hart, appealed to the voters, assuring them that the commission would address their concerns.
In Imo State, it was reported that INEC officials had yet to arrive at some polling units in the state even after the voting time.
As of 3.27pm, INEC officials had yet to arrive at all five voting wards in Egbema community in the Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State.
This may, however, not be unconnected with the security challenges affecting the state.
In other parts of the country, issues relating to logistics delayed the arrival of election materials and officials, marring the voting exercise in many places.
A security expert and former captain in the United States Army, Bishop Johnson, who is also a native of Egbema, lamented that INEC officials did not show up even after the voting time.
INEC had stated that voting would begin at 8.30 am on Saturday and end at 2.30 pm.
In an interview with our correspondent, Johnson said, “It is surprising that up until this time (3.24 pm), no INEC official, BVAS, or any form of INEC presence is seen in Egbema. It is unfair. Hundreds of voters have been disenfranchised. We are talking about all five polling units.”
Meanwhile, some voters in Lagos could not locate their polling units on time apparently due to the creation of additional 56,872 polling units in 2021.
Although the electoral umpire had earlier directed all voters to locate their polling units while it also created a portal for the location of PU on its website, some voters still experienced difficulty in locating their PU.
In Abia State, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Prof Gregory Ibe, decried the lack of voting materials in many parts of Abia North as of midday.
Ibe lamented the possible disenfranchisement of voters by the late arrival of materials while enjoining INEC to extend the voting period to make up for the lost time.
“Information sourced by our situation room from the five local government areas of Abia North confirms that most polling units in Bende, Umunneochi, Ohafia, Arochukwu and here in Isuikwuato have not received voting materials at almost mid day today.
Meanwhile, some of the voters at polling unit 054 and 056, lamented that INEC officials brought the wrong BVAS to polling unit 054 meant for polling unit 056.
A voter, said as of 12:13pm, the voting exercise was yet to start. In Kogi State, our correspondent who visited polling units in Lokoja, Ajaokuta, Ganaja, and Lokongoma among others observed that INEC officials had yet to arrive as of 12:00pm.
Also, in Borno State, low voter turnout, malfunctioning of BVAS and late arrival of election materials were recorded in most polling units in the Maiduguri metropolis.
As of 11:25am, voting materials had yet to arrive at the polling unit of the APC vice presidential candidate, Kashim Shettima, in Shettima Kukawa PU 023 at Lawan Bukhari.
Shettima, who had arrived around past 10am to cast his vote, left some minutes later without making any comment.
As of 10.20am, INEC officials had yet to arrive at some polling units in Ikorodu, Lagos. Several voters expressed frustration over the delayed commencement of the voting exercise.
Also, the inability to make payments to drivers conveying election materials reportedly delayed the arrival of INEC officials at polling unit 019, Ita Aro Square, Àga/Ijimu ward in Ikorodu, Lagos.
The deputy governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party was expected to cast her vote at the polling unit.
Also, many residents in the Lekki area of Lagos State trooped out in their numbers to cast their votes on Saturday but the late arrival of INEC officials and materials delayed the process. As of 11am, electoral officers and equipment had yet to arrive in the area.
Some voters in the Federal Capital Territory expressed concern over the delay in the commencement of the voting exercise.
For example, angry voters at the polling unit 17, Byazhin ward, Kubwa, Abuja lamented INEC’s delay in the distribution of voting materials, especially ballot boxes.
The voters later started to shout and rain abuses on the electoral umpire.
One of the voters, 73-year-old David Ibhadode, expressed disappointment over the development.
“The performance of INEC is not impressive at all. I came here to vote but I’m surprised to see that there is no ballot box to vote,” the septuagenarian noted.
In Anambra State, voters in many polling units in Onitsha and Nkpor cities also lamented the delay in the arrival of materials.
Also, at the 064 Borehole Polling Unit located at the Sisters Convent, Nkpor, voters were seen waiting impatiently for the arrival of the INEC officials and their materials as of 11:25am.
One of the aggrieved Sisters, Mary Amanda Nwagbo told newsmen that they had been waiting since 9a.m. to no avail.
Meanwhile, a large turnout of voters was recorded across Enugu, even as the late arrival of election materials characterised the election.
In all the polling units visited in the capital city, it was observed that the late arrival of INEC team and the malfunctioning of BVAS affected the exercise.
In River State, voters in some polling units especially those around Wimpey Junction, Rumuepirikom, Port Harcourt, lamented as the BVAS failed to accredit them.
Sunday PUNCH reports that Governor Nyesom Wike was not also accredited as a result of the failure of the BVAS network. As of 11:48am, several voters had yet to be accredited.
In Kwara State, the late arrival of INEC officials and voting materials characterised the polls. The state governor’s ward, Adewole Idi-Igba, in the Ilorin West Local Government Area was also affected.
Meanwhile, INEC officials decried the lack of cooperation of voters at the Polling Unit 039, NYSC camp Ward, Kubwa, Abuja.
The Supervising Presiding Officer, Festus Odeomana, lamented that the lack of orderliness of voters had slowed down the electoral process.
INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner of Lagos State, Mr Olusegun Agbaje, assured residents that the late arrival of electoral materials would not stop them from voting.
Despite the late arrival of INEC officials, voter turnout at polling units in Mazamaza, Mosalashi in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State, was high.
Our correspondent who visited several polling units observed that voters were waiting for INEC officials. They also started issuing numbers among themselves while they waited.
In Delta State, over 90 per cent of youths turned out en-masse to cast their votes despite the rain, delay and location of their units.
Meanwhile, the vice presidential candidate of PDP and Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, who cast his vote around 10:am, was optimistic that PDP would win the election.
Okowa who spoke shortly after voting at ward 2, unit 17, in Ika North-East Local Government Area of the state thanked God for the peaceful conduct of the election, commending the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, retd for ensuring fairness in the election.
Meanwhile, the member representing Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Yaya Tongo, called for calm in Toungo town in the Funakaye Local Government Area of Gombe state, urging INEC issues of displacement of BVAS.
Despite collaborating with the National Union of Road Transport Workers in Ogun State to fast-track the process of distributing electoral materials to various polling units in the state, the Ogun State Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC, Olaniyi Ijalaye, said the commission still experienced logistical challenges.
Also, as of the time of filing this report, INEC officials had yet to be seen at Magboro, Asese, Oke-Afa and Mowe, in the Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of the state.
Some residents of Sokoto State, especially in the Goronyo Local Government area of the state lamented over the failure experienced with BVAS.
INEC staff shortage
Meanwhile, the Chairman Inter-party Advisory Council Delta State, Mr Emeka Bidokwu, lamented the shortage of ballots and ad-hoc staff in the state
The News Agency of Nigeria also reported that the absence of result sheets and insufficient ballot papers stalled the voting process at the hometown of Mr Ndudi Elumelu, Minority Leader, House of Representatives in Delta.
A former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, expressed worried over the inability of BVAS to recognise his face and fingerprint in the polls.
Lamido said this after he was asked to come later after the machine failed to accredit him at Bamaina Primary School III polling unit, in Bamaina, his country home on Saturday.
He, however, acknowledged the BVAS’ failure to accredit him as human error, adding that, “in all human endeavours, there must be one problem or another.
“In all human endeavours, there is the problem here and there, it is a human error and there is no way INEC can be perfect 100 per cent, it is not possible, it is a human lapse and I do understand that”.
Meanwhile, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) called on INEC to extend the time of voting in states like Anambra, Delta, Imo, Ebonyi, Enugu and Abia.
It regretted that despite the promises that election would commence by 8:30am across the country, unfortunately in the South-East and South-South, election materials were still arriving at polling units as of 2pm.
Meanwhile, in Rivers State, Governor Nyesom Wike had earlier been unable to complete his accreditation at his polling Unit 7, Ward 9, Wimpey Junction, Rumuepirikom, Port Harcourt, owing to a malfunction of the device.
Wike said, “We are highly disappointed. INEC told us they were ready for the election and that BVAS are working. You can see the crowd here, I don’t think that most people will be allowed to vote with the slow working of the BVAS.
“I have stayed about 25 minutes here and I was told to go and come back so that they will rectify the BVAS. We are highly disappointed. If a number of people are disenfranchised, what do you expect?”
Kwankwaso on delayed voting
The presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Rabiu Kwankwaso, said the failure of BVAS to recognise some votes showed the limitation of technology and human factors.
“But you see the time it takes and the number of people that we have for example on a particular voting unit is so huge that only God knows when they will conclude but my prayer is that the equipment will not malfunction and the (INEC) staff (members are) not tired to the extent that each and every voter will be given the opportunity to vote,” he added.
The device also delayed accreditation and voting in some parts of Kwara State in addition to the late arrival of INEC officials.
Expressing concern, a former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who voted at Unit 006 in Ajikobi ward, Ilorin, in the Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara State at 10:40am, called on INEC to extend the election and allow voters who turned out en masse for the exercise to vote.
At Ile-Bale polling unit (002) in Ajase-IPO Ward 1, in the Irepodun Local Government Area, many prospective voters waited for more than three hours after the arrival of electoral officials due to a faulty BVAS.
A similar situation was recorded at NEPA polling unit, Ajase Ward 1 (006) where officials complained of a slow network thereby delaying accreditation and voting.
In Edo, the Commissioner of Police on election duty, CP Benjamin Okolo, appealed to agitated voters to remain calm over insufficient electoral materials which delayed voting in some polling units in Uzairue, in the Etsako West Local Government Area of the state.
Speaking with one of our correspondents, one of the voters, Jonathan Inih, said, “I arrived here at 8am, but till now (1pm), materials are not available. The INEC officer, who said he was going to sort things out, has not returned.
“The deputy governor (of the state) was here and he said if the materials were not complete, we should not vote.”
In Adamawa, some voters who arrived at the Gwadabawa ward to cast their votes were jolted when they could not find their names on the list of registered voters.
Frustrated voters, unable to contain their anger, berated INEC and described the development as a plot to stop them from exercising their rights.
One of the affected persons, who did not want her name in print because she was a civil servant, said, “We are very disappointed with what is happening. We don’t know what INEC is up to.”
But the supervising officer presiding, Hauwa Aminu, explained that some polling units considered overcrowded by the commission were decongested for orderliness during voting.
She added, “The problem is a simple one. The commission decongestant some large polling units and directed affected voters to look out for text messages on where to vote.
“Some of these voters shouting here have these messages on their phones. Maybe because of their inability to read, they can’t locate their new polling units.”
At the Uzoigwa primary registration area centre in Asaba, Delta State, Saturday PUNCH learnt that the election materials did not get to the units as of 10am.
At Ward 9, Unit 3, Okpanam, in the Oshimili North Local Government Area, there were complaints about the poor state of the BVAS at the commencement of the accreditation.
A voter in the ward, Donatus Alabike, said, “There are some issues with BVAS. The BVAS only recognised alphabets from A to N and didn’t recognise letters O to Z.
In the Federal Capital Territory, some voters decried the malfunctioning of the BVAS during accreditation.
At Unit 025, Minister Gate, some voters who came out as early as 6am vowed not to leave the venue till INEC fixed the device and allowed them to vote.
Report by TOPE OMOGBOLAGUN, DEBORAH TOLU-KOLAWOLE, ADEJORO, VICTOR AYENI, OLUWAKEMI ABIMBOLA, GBENGA OLONINIRAN, GODFREY GEORGE, EDIDIONG IKPOTO, SHARON OSAJI, DANIEL AYANTOYE, ONOZURE DANIA, HENRY FALAIYE, LILIAN UKAGWU, DANIELS IGONI, UTHMAN ABUBAKAR, IKENNA OBIANERI, RAPHAEL EDE, MATTHEW OCHEI, TUNDE OYEKOLA, CHIMA AZUBUIKE, BLESSING AFOLABI, ANIMASAHUN SALMAN, DIRISU YAKUBU, LILIAN UKAGWU, TUNDE OYEKOLA and ADEYINKA ADEDIPE
