Political Parties Urge INEC to Fix BVAS Issues Ahead of Poll

Political parties in Osun State, including Accord, All Progressives Congress (APC), and Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA), have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to urgently review and reconfigure the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) before the governorship election scheduled for August 15. This request follows significant technical faults observed during a mock accreditation exercise held on a Saturday, where BVAS machines malfunctioned and failed to recognize voters' fingerprints and facial features, halting the exercise.

Pastor Victor Akande, the Osun State Chairman of Accord, described the failures as a serious concern that must be addressed, proposing a technical committee to collaborate with INEC. APC spokesperson Chief Kola Olabisi emphasized the importance of the mock exercise in identifying issues before the actual election, while APC chieftain Sunday Akere noted that such malfunctions are not unprecedented.

DLA Chairman Dr Yosin Odeyemi stated that there is still time to rectify the issues before the election.