The Justice Development Peacemaker Centre (JDPMC), Osogbo, has raised concerns over discrepancies in voter registers and failures of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) observed at several polling units during the ongoing Osun State governorship election.
The General coordinator, ( PDPMC ) Reverend Peter Akinkunmi, disclosed this while speaking with Adamimogo FM Nigeria on the conduct of the election.
Akinkunmi said his team had monitored polling activities across several local government areas and observed that while most polling units opened early, significant challenges were recorded in some locations.
According to him, about 90 per cent of the polling units monitored had INEC officials arrive before 8 a.m., while voting commenced by 8:30 a.m. in approximately 80 per cent of the locations.
He, however, said discrepancies between the voter registers displayed at polling units and those brought by INEC officials for accreditation had disrupted voting in some areas.
He cited Ward 8, Polling Unit 3 in Ushubu as an example, where the register displayed at the polling unit reportedly contained about 2,400 registered voters, while the register brought for voting contained approximately 1,178 names.
Akinkunmi said voters at the location refused to vote until the discrepancy was addressed.
A similar situation, he said, occurred at Ward 8, Unit 2, in Olorunda Local Government Area, where about 2,000 voters were reportedly displayed on the register, while the register presented by INEC contained only about 100 names.
He also cited other instances involving discrepancies in voter figures and technical challenges with election materials.
At Odiolowo, Ataujadi Dispensary, Polling Unit 4, he said the stamp pad was reportedly not functioning, yet ballot papers were issued to voters without being stamped.
In Ifororonu, Ward 7, Polling Unit 2, Akinkunmi said the register displayed at the polling unit indicated 742 registered voters, while the register brought for voting contained 192 names.
He further alleged that voters were permitted to cast their ballots without physical Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) at Irei, Ward 11, in Boripe Local Government Area, provided they presented their VIN numbers.
The JDPMC official also raised concerns over BVAS malfunction in Ede North, particularly at a polling unit around the Garage entrance.
He said the BVAS reportedly became faulty at about 8:35 a.m. and was not fixed until 10:22 a.m., causing frustration among voters.
Akinkunmi said the organisation was particularly interested in monitoring areas considered strongholds of the Accord and African Democratic Congress (ADC), following pre-election complaints by the parties about alleged intimidation and the use of state resources.
He warned that unresolved technical and administrative challenges could lead to voter disenfranchisement and disaffection, particularly in areas regarded as strongholds of major candidates.
“If this is not taken care of, there is going to be a situation of disenfranchisement and there is going to be a situation of disaffection,” he said.
However, Akinkunmi said his organisation was not prepared to conclude that the challenges were deliberate actions by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to him, the problems observed were spread across different locations and were not concentrated in any particular area, suggesting that they could be attributed to operational or technical challenges rather than a coordinated attempt to manipulate the election.
He said the organisation deliberately structured its monitoring exercise across the senatorial districts and selected polling units with large numbers of registered voters to ensure that its observations reflected areas capable of having a significant impact on the final outcome.
Akinkunmi therefore urged the electoral authorities to address the identified discrepancies and technical problems before the conclusion of the voting process, stressing that the credibility of the election depends not only on peaceful voting but also on ensuring that eligible voters are able to exercise their franchise without unnecessary barriers.
