Osun poll: CSO demands explanation over alleged BVAS glitches during INEC mock accreditation

A civil society organisation, the Coalition of Concerned Nigeria Citizens, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to explain the alleged widespread malfunction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) during Saturday’s mock accreditation exercise ahead of the August 15 Osun State governorship election.

 

The coalition alleged that the exercise, organised to assess INEC’s preparedness for the poll, experienced significant technical challenges at selected polling units across the state, raising concerns about the commission’s readiness.

 

In a statement issued by its spokesperson, Comrade Raufu Sodiq, the group claimed the exercise, scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m., started behind schedule in some polling units.

 

According to the statement, many BVAS devices allegedly stopped recognising fingerprints, facial features and Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) less than 40 minutes after the exercise commenced, preventing the successful accreditation of eligible voters in the affected locations.

 

The coalition described the reported development as disturbing, noting that a mock accreditation exercise should ordinarily strengthen public confidence in the electoral process rather than create fresh doubts about election preparations.

 

It stressed that voter accreditation remains a critical stage of every election because it determines voter eligibility and safeguards the integrity of the electoral process.

 

The group questioned why the reported technical challenges allegedly occurred despite years of preparation and significant public investment in electoral technology.

 

“We believe in strong democratic institutions and do not want to see INEC fail. However, public confidence must be built on competence, transparency and accountability. The people of Osun deserve an election where every eligible voter can cast their vote without avoidable technological failures,” the statement read.

 

The coalition urged the Osun Resident Electoral Commissioner and INEC’s national leadership to provide a comprehensive explanation of the alleged BVAS malfunction and disclose measures being taken to prevent a recurrence during the August 15 governorship election.

 

It also asked the commission to clarify whether the reported glitches resulted from software, hardware or configuration problems, explain its contingency plans for the state’s 3,763 polling units, replace any faulty BVAS devices and consider conducting another mock accreditation exercise before the election.

 

The group further appealed to the INEC Chairman to personally address Nigerians on the outcome of the exercise, outline corrective measures and assure voters that all identified technical issues would be resolved before election day.

 

Responding to the allegations, INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, attributed the temporary glitches to the use of old Permanent Voter Cards.

 

He said the issue had been resolved and that the mock accreditation exercise resumed successfully.

 

INEC conducted the mock accreditation exercise to test the functionality of the BVAS and other electoral processes ahead of the August 15 Osun State governorship election.