Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The promise of a new dawn for Osun State was met with frustration and despair in Ilesa West on Saturday, August 15, 2026, as hundreds of eager voters found themselves stranded at polling units after the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines developed technical faults, leaving them unable to cast their ballots in the governorship election. The malfunction, which was reported across multiple polling units in the local government area, has cast a shadow over what was meant to be a celebration of democracy and raised serious questions about the Independent National Electoral Commission's preparedness for the poll.
While voting proceeded smoothly at Polling Unit 001, Registration Area 04, Omofe/Idasa, in Ilesa West, other units in the local government were not as fortunate. Reports from the field indicated that BVAS machines in several locations developed technical faults, preventing electoral officials from commencing voter accreditation. The situation was particularly dire at a polling unit where only a single BVAS machine was deployed to serve over 1,000 registered voters, a logistical nightmare that left many waiting for hours.
Voters who had arrived as early as 7 a.m. were forced to wait as INEC officials struggled to resolve the technical issues. One frustrated voter, who declined to be named, told our correspondent: "We came here to exercise our civic duty, but we have been standing here for hours without any progress. The BVAS machine is not working, and the officials are just asking us to be patient. How long are we supposed to wait?" The malfunctioning devices, which are designed to authenticate voters using fingerprints and facial recognition, have been a recurring problem in Nigerian elections, and the mock accreditation exercise conducted by INEC on August 1 had already raised concerns about the system's reliability. That exercise suffered a setback after BVAS machines developed technical faults across designated polling units, including those in Ilesa West, Ilesa East, Oriade and Obokun.
The glitches on election day were not limited to Ilesa West. Across the state, voters reported similar problems, with the BVAS machines either failing to recognise fingerprints, experiencing slow network connectivity, or completely shutting down. In Ward 1, Unit 9, in Ede North Local Government Area, voting was yet to commence as voters waited for officials to resolve a malfunctioning BVAS device. A similar problem was reported at Ward 1, Unit 3, Ataoja A, where voters waited while INEC officials worked to fix the machine.
The situation was so severe that Osun State Deputy Governor, Prince Kola Adewusi, who voted at Ilode Ward 1, Unit 001, in Ile-Ife, raised the alarm. "The election started on a very good note," he said after casting his vote. "The security are on ground, INEC people are on ground, and voters too. But the problem now is that the BVAS is causing a lot of problems. It is malfunctioning." Adewusi called on INEC to promptly address the technical challenges to prevent unnecessary delays and enable eligible voters to cast their ballots without difficulty.
In Ede North, the BVAS malfunction at Polling Unit 009, Ward 2, triggered protests among voters and polling agents, who demanded explanations from INEC officials. The incident occurred shortly after Governor Ademola Adeleke had cast his ballot at the same unit without any difficulty, prompting some agents to allege possible sabotage. Hundreds of voters were left stranded, with only one BVAS machine deployed to serve over 1,000 registered voters. INEC officials at the unit appealed for calm, attributing the problem to poor network connectivity and assuring voters that efforts were underway to restore the system.
The technical failures have not only caused delays but have also fuelled allegations of disenfranchisement. Some voters in Osogbo reported that their names were missing from the voters' register, further compounding the frustration. Yiaga Africa, a civil society election monitoring group, had earlier expressed deep concerns regarding election-day readiness following the technical challenges observed during the mock accreditation exercise. The group noted that some BVAS devices temporarily failed to recognise voters' fingerprints, facial features and older PVC records.
As the hours ticked by and the sun climbed higher, the frustration among voters in Ilesa West and other affected areas continued to grow. Many had taken time off work, travelled long distances, and braved the early morning chill to cast their votes, only to be met with a system that failed them. The BVAS glitches have not only undermined the credibility of the electoral process but have also raised questions about the commission's ability to conduct seamless elections in the future.
For the voters of Ilesa West, the hope is that INEC will learn from these failures and ensure that such technical glitches are addressed before the next election. For now, the people of Osun State are left to wonder whether their voices will be heard or silenced by a machine that refused to work. As one elderly voter put it, "We have come to vote for our future, but the machine is telling us that our future must wait. How long must we wait?"
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