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Absence of stamp halts voting in Ikere-Ekiti

By Oluwaseun Akingboye, Akure
18 June 2022   |   12:58 pm
Hundreds of voters have kicked against some anomalies in the ongoing governorship election in Ekiti State, lamenting that there was no stamp to certify the ballot papers as authentic based on the electoral regulations. The voters are currently protesting at Ikere Local Government Area, Unit Four, Ward Two, lamenting the delay that has hitched the…

Hundreds of voters have kicked against some anomalies in the ongoing governorship election in Ekiti State, lamenting that there was no stamp to certify the ballot papers as authentic based on the electoral regulations.

The voters are currently protesting at Ikere Local Government Area, Unit Four, Ward Two, lamenting the delay that has hitched the commencement of voting due to the logistic problem.

They also expressed displeasure over the poor handling of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), raising alarm that it may disenfranchise many voters.

There is a large turnout and many of the voters had been accredited, including elders, but they could not vote because the ballot papers have not been stamped.

One of the voters, Prof. Matthew Aye Matthew, who bemoaned that it was absurd to prepare for election without provision for stamp, disclosed that “there is a lot of delay here. Ordinary stamp is delaying us from starting voting.

“We were waiting for the stamp and we will wait until the stamp comes. We have been here since 8:30am. The BVAS is not functioning well. It is not capturing everybody,” Matthew said.

But INEC officials at the polling unit said they had requested for stamp to be provided so that the accredited voters can begin voting, assuring that the stamp would soon arrive. He added that they commented with accreditation to prevent further delay.

Speaking on the BVAS shortcomings, he explained that there was illumination problem in the hall being used for the exercise.

He added that they had to shift it outside for more light and proper capturing.

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