Accreditation Challenges Mar FCT Council Elections

There were challenges with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System on Saturday as many FCT residents trooped out to vote in council elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The polls, conducted to elect council chairmen and councillors, were held in Abaji, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Kwali, and Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).

But the challenges with BVAS slowed down the voting process in many polling units, giving voters cause for concern.

The situation, which led to late commencement of voting in many polling units, led to an extension of voting time to six pm in some areas.

In most polling units in Kuje, Bwari and the Abuja Municipal Area Council, INEC officials arrived early with voting materials.

But voting which was scheduled to start at 8am did not start due to some accreditation challenges.

“Over thousands of people are here since morning, since eight o’clock, but up till now they have not captured up to 200 people,” one voter complained.

“If they are not prepared, why putting the date to today and bringing materials that are not working,” another retorted. “BIVAS or whatever they call it has not been used before and the machine is not working.”

One voter noted that while the election in his unit had ben peaceful, the technology problems were a cause for concern.

“I understand this situation is not only here in Kuje, it is across the entire FCT,” he said. “So one begins to wonder whether it is deliberate or just a situation where the machine has become faulty.”

Meanwhile the Chairman, Kuje Area Council, Abdullahi Sabo, asked voters to exercise patience as they cast their ballot for the candidate of their choice.

Chairman Bwari Area Council, John Gabaya, also pleaded with the electorates to allow for a peaceful election.
-Channels