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From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
There was near commotion on Saturday at Saburi Village polling unit in Gwa Gwa Ward, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), during the ongoing FCT Area Council elections following a temporary malfunction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
Sunday Sun gathered that officials arrived at the polling centre at about 8:23am, but accreditation and voting did not commence until 10:10am due to technical hitches.
Trouble started when some agitated voters alleged that the BVAS device was selectively failing.
One of the voters, who spoke to our reporter amid the tension, alleged bias in the system.
“If Igbo people want to vote it (BVAS) will not work, but if other people want to vote, most especially the indigenes, it will work perfectly,” the voter claimed.
The accusation further heightened anxiety among those on queue, as voters demanded immediate action from electoral officials.
However, addressing the agitating crowd, the Assistant Presiding Officer III dismissed the claim of ethnic bias, describing the malfunction as a general technical issue.
“It is a general issue affecting everyone and not a particular tribe and we have called for help so the issue will soon be addressed. We are working on it,” the official assured.
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Following the intervention and technical adjustments, Sunday Sun observed that voting later resumed seamlessly, with voters casting their ballots without further complaints.
Despite the resolution, turnout appeared lower compared to previous elections.
A voter, Ejike Ofor, attributed the reduced participation to disenchantment from past electoral experiences.
“The last general elections discouraged a lot of people from coming out because after voting, the result was different from what we saw and expected,” he said.
As at the time of filing this report, the situation at the polling unit had stabilised, with security personnel and electoral officials maintaining order while voting continued peacefully.
