Anambra Election: Voters, Candidates Frustrated As BVAS Flops In Polling Units

Abiola Olawale
Writer

Ad

Oil Prices Rally as the Geopolitical Risk Premium Rebuilds

Light crude oil futures rose for the week, closing Thursday at $63.52, up $1.54 or +2.48% from last Friday’s close, as geopolitical tensions, bullish inventory data, and renewed demand optimism drove a shift in market sentiment. The recovery followed two weeks of selling pressure and marked a return of bullish interest as supply-side risks reentered…

Japan designates Kisarazu as official hometown for Nigerians

In a landmark move to boost cultural ties and economic cooperation, the Government of Japan has designated the city of Kisarazu as the official hometown for Nigerians wishing to live and work in the country. The announcement was made on Thursday on the sidelines of the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9), held…

FG to raise N200bn through two bond offers at August auction

By Obinna Uballa The Debt Management Office (DMO) has announced plans to raise N200 billion through two Federal Government bond offerings scheduled for auction on August 25, 2025. According to a notice issued by the DMO on Friday, the subscription price for each bond is fixed at N1,000 per unit, with a minimum subscription requirement…

Ad

The Anambra gubernatorial election held across the southeast state on Saturday amid complaints over failure of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in many wards in the state

It was gathered that many voters in Akwa ward located in Ifitedunu Dunukofia local government area of the state, have been left stranded as the BVAS machines have continued to malfunction or at best remain erratic in its operation.

Earlier, The New Diplomat had reported that the Polling Unit/Ward, PU 002, Ward 13, Isuofia, Aguata LGA, that has over 200 people has not been able to accredit anybody since 7am, hence voting was yet to commence. The BVAS failure had also made it impossible for Prof. Charles Soludo, Candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to cast his ballot there as of the time of filing this report.

Also, voters in Enugwu-Agidi Ward 1; polling unit 001 and polling unit 002 in Njikoka L.G.A have also lamented the failure of card reader machines.

Voters at Omagba phase 2, Onitsha north local government area of the state have also complained that no activity had commenced.

Similarly, the flag-bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Valentine Ozigbo, who casted his vote at Amesi, Aguata, LGA lamented the delay in voting process caused by the malfunctioning card readers.

He also appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to extend the voting to allow eligible voters perform their civic duty.

In his words, “I was actually impressed that the people of Amesi community are out in their numbers. For me, if not for the delay, everything is going perfect. I am worried that it took that number of minutes to be able to cast my vote. I was hoping that I will just come and do that in quick session. It got to a point that the network failed and we had to improvise. If we couldn’t find that solution, I wonder what would have happened. Imagine those in remote locations, where there may be even poor network, we need to make sure we recognize those peculiarities.

“What that means is that we need to extend the voting time, so we don’t allow people who are eligible not to cast their vote. That will be unfortunate. So, I am not only commenting on this, I also by this appealing to INEC and all the stakeholders to exercise patience and ensure that the right people who have all the authentication cast their votes.”

Ad

X whatsapp