IFELODUN, OSUN STATE — Technical hiccups and sub-standard voting materials have sparked widespread frustration among voters at the Iya Oba Compound Polling Unit, Ward D, in Ifelodun Local Government Area.

With a total of 277 registered voters assigned to the polling unit, proceedings have slowed to a crawl due to severe malfunctions of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machine alongside unusable, watery indelible ink supplied to electoral officers.

Dual Technical Snags Cause Voting Gridlock

According to polling unit reports and feedback from stranded voters:

  • BVAS Facial/Fingerprint Failure: The BVAS device deployed to the unit has repeatedly failed to capture or authenticate voters' biometric features, rejecting multiple registered citizens after long attempts.
  • Defective Indelible Ink: Electors who successfully passed accreditation reported that the indelible ink provided by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was extremely watery, failing to dry properly and smudging onto ballot papers, raising fears of invalid or spoiled votes.


"We have 277 registered voters here who came out early to perform their civic duty, but the process has ground to a halt," an agitated voter told reporters at the scene. "The BVAS machine keeps malfunctioning, and the ink is so watery that it is staining the ballot papers before we even drop them in the box."


Demands for Immediate INEC Intervention

Polling officials at the Iya Oba Compound center have reportedly reached out to the INEC Electoral Officer for Ifelodun LGA to request an immediate technical replacement for the BVAS unit and a fresh batch of standard indelible ink.

Party agents and community elders present at the unit have appealed to queuing voters to remain patient and peaceful while electoral authorities work to dispatch technical support to resolve the situation.