By Harry Awurumibe, Editor Abuja
Voting has closed at various Polling Units (PU) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council Elections with many residents unable to cast their votes for several reasons including the malfunctioning of the Bimodal Voting Accreditation System (BVAS) devices at many areas across Abuja.
Prompt News can confirm that many eligible voters including our reporter could not exercise their civic duties due to the malfunctioning of BVAS devices just as several others did not vote due to their inability to locate where they can cast their votes.
From Abaji Area Council to Bwari through Kwali, Gwagwalada, Kuje to Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC),there were complaints of BVAS device malfunctioning in several PUs.
Prompt News witnessed a typical case of BVAS device malfunctioning at a Polling Unit located at Kabusa Garden Estate, off Galadimawa-Lokogoma road in AMAC where a BVAS No. 37/06/03/038 failed to capture an eligible voter even after several hours of trying.
Trouble started after the voter’s fingerprint and smiling photo could not be captured by the device after his name and face was identified by the device even as his name was also confirmed in the Voter Register displayed at the PU.
The details of the PU are:
EC 30A (1)
PU: Kabusa Garden Estate
PU Code: 038
Reg. Area: Kabusa Ward
Reg. Area Code: 03
LGA: AMAC
LGA Code: 06
All efforts made by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ad hoc staff who are members of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to rectify the problem proved abortive as the device kept indicating that “the process has stopped” each time the operator wants to capture smiling facial expression of the voter.
At last this PU 038 which has 121 registered voters could only accredite only one voter till the end of voting at 3:46pm just as some others who turned up to cast their could not vote for sone reasons including not seeing their names in the PU, following the re-distribution of voters carried out by INEC.
A voter who did not want to disclose her name blamed the Commission for not educating the public where their new PUs are located after the old Polling Centers were discarded by INEC.
