During Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti State, some elderly voters report being unable to complete accreditation because the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) repeatedly fails to recognise their biometrics. Multiple outlets describe delays and queues at polling units as BVAS does not capture facial images and fingerprints for older voters, forcing officials to retry verification several times. In Ado ‘J’ Okesa, a 90-year-old woman cannot complete biometric checks after the machine fails to capture required facial and fingerprint data. In Ikere Local Government Area, BVAS difficulties slow the process, with only a small number of voters accredited by mid-morning at one polling unit. Reports also indicate that election officials initially prioritise elderly voters and pregnant women, while presiding officers ask affected voters to wait as the device is tested repeatedly. Observers raise concerns that eligible elderly voters could be disenfranchised if INEC does not provide alternative verification methods for cases where BVAS cannot authenticate a voter’s biometrics. The outlets agree voting begins as scheduled, but accreditation is disrupted in several areas due to BVAS performance issues with elderly voters.
Ekiti election sees BVAS failures as some elderly voters struggle with biometric verification
During Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti State, some elderly voters report being unable to complete accreditation because the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) repeatedly fails to reco...
- BVAS authentication failures occur during the Ekiti State governorship election, affecting some elderly voters.
- Some elderly voters cannot complete biometric verification because the system does not recognise their facial images and/or fingerprints.
- Polling units experience delays and queues while election officials retry BVAS capture for older voters.
- Officials prioritise elderly voters and pregnant women at the start of voting, but verification still often fails.
- Observers call for alternative methods of verifying eligible voters when BVAS cannot authenticate biometrics.
The observers urged INEC to provide alternative means of verifying eligible elderly voters who encounter challenges with the technology to prevent them from being disenfranchised. The post #EkitiDecides2026: Observers raise concerns as BVAS fails to recognise some elderly voters appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
17 hours agoVoter accreditation was delayed in parts of Ekiti as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) hit a snag during the capture of biometrics of several elderly persons. Residents of Ekiti in south-west Nigeria are currently voting to elect a governor. At Polling Unit 007 in Ado ‘J’ Okesa, a 90-year-old woman was unable to complete biometric verification as the machine failed to capture her facial image and fingerprints. Similar difficulties were reported in other polling units where the BVAS repeatedly failed to recognise elderly voters, leading to delays and queues. At Ugele/Arokun Ward 006 in Ikere LGA, BVAS difficulties slowed voting, with only three persons accredited as at 8:30am. Mercy Omeiza, the presiding officer at polling unit 13, ward 20, Iyin 1, Iyin-Ekiti, told TheCable that the device consistently struggled with elderly voters, forcing officials to retry the process multiple times. “The BVAS is not capturing most of the old people. We asked them to wait and sit while we keep trying and trying,” she said. “I heard other polling units around are also facing the same challenge.” Although voting commenced as scheduled, presiding officers initially prioritised elderly voters and pregnant women.
18 hours agoElderly voters in Ekiti State faced BVAS authentication failures during Saturday’s governorship election, unable to vote due to unrecognised biometrics. Read More: https://punchng.com/ekiti-2026-elderly-voters-stranded-by-bvas-authentication-failures/
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