Edo election: Faulty BVAS machines disrupt voting in Ikpoba, Benin

Malfunctioning of Biamodial Voters Accreditation (BVA) machines has disrupted voting at Ikpoba Okha ward 7, Unit 39, Benin, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

The NAN team at Ikpoba Ward 7, unit 39, reports that the voting process, which started at about 8 a.m., came to a halt some minutes later and has not been restored as of 10:20 a.m.

The unit located inside Ologboshere Primary School has 838 registered voters.

However, voting in other units within the school is going on smoothly.

An Ad hoc INEC official at the unit 39, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said INEC had been informed about the faulty BVAs.

“We are waiting for another BVA so that the process could not be adversely affected,” he said.

NAN reports that materials arrived at the centre before 8:00 am while voting started at 8:00 am.

An elderly woman at the unit, Mrs Helen Osagie, who spoke to NAN on the delay, said she arrived in the unit about 7:00 am.

Osagie commended the peaceful environment and called on INEC to replace the faulty machines on time.

“INEC should act fast to replace the faulty machines in order not to disenfranchise most of us at the polling unit,” she said.

Mr Paul Eromosele, who voted at Ward 7 unit 39, commended the peaceful process.

“For now, there is peace here and everything is okay; I voted and it was not stressful and we pray the exercise ends peacefully,” he prayed.