FCT Polls: Voters Lament BVAS Glitches as Voting Ends in Waru 002 Polling Unit

Voting has ended at Polling Unit 002, LEA Primary School, Waru, with only 200 out of over 1,000 registered voters casting their ballots, following widespread complaints of BVAS malfunction and registration issues.

The exercise, which commenced around 11:00 am, was concluded at approximately 3:45 pm., amid frustration from voters who said they were unable to complete their accreditation due to the malfunctioning of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).

Daniel Christopher, the Presiding Officer at the polling unit, confirmed the low turnout at the close of voting.

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“Out of over 1,000 registered voters assigned to this polling unit, only 200 were successfully accredited and voted,” Christophe said.
“Some of the voters had issues with their registration details, while others could not be accredited due to BVAS challenges.”
Earlier in the day, several voters had raised concerns over the inability of the BVAS device to recognise their fingerprints or verify their details, sparking fears of disenfranchisement.
Hassan Umar, one of the affected voters said, “I have voted here before, and my name is on the register, but the BVAS could not accredit me. I waited for hours hoping the issue would be resolved.”
Another voter expressed disappointment, noting that many residents who turned up early eventually left without voting.
“People were frustrated. Some of us came here before noon, but after several failed attempts at accreditation, many had no choice but to go back home,” she said.
The development mirrors earlier reports from other polling units in Wariu where voters also complained about delays and technical hitches that slowed down the process.

Although electoral officials attempted to manage the situation, the technical setbacks significantly affected voter participation at the polling unit.

As collation is set to commence, concerns remain over the number of eligible voters who were unable to exercise their civic responsibility due to the reported challenges.