Osun election: BVAS failure denies professor chance to vote in Ife

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A professor, Olayinka Ajala, was unable to vote in the ongoing Osun State governorship election after the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) failed to authenticate his identity at his polling unit.

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Ajala, an electorate at Unit 10, Ward 10, Community Primary School, Oke-Ola 2, Mayfair Roundabout, in Ife East Local Government Area, said the device could neither recognise his face nor capture his thumbprint.

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He said he had been registered as a voter since 2011 and suspected that changes in his facial appearance over the years might have contributed to the difficulty in authenticating him.

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According to him, electoral officials made several attempts to verify his identity through the BVAS, but none was successful, leaving him unable to participate in the election.

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Despite the experience, Ajala described the voting exercise at his polling unit as peaceful, saying there was no rancour among voters.

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He also observed that the number of people affected by BVAS authentication problems appeared relatively small compared with the overall number of voters at the polling location.

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Ajala commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security personnel for their roles in maintaining order and ensuring a peaceful voting process.

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