By Opeyemi Adelakun
The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Ekiti State governorship election, Dr. Wole Oluyede, has criticised the conduct of the electoral process, citing the malfunctioning of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and alleged harassment of his supporters.
Oluyede, who cast his vote at Unit 6, Ward 3, Osagburu Family Hall in Ikere-Ekiti, expressed frustration over delays caused by the accreditation device, saying the situation prevented many eligible voters from participating in the election.
According to reports, only a handful of voters had been successfully accredited several hours after voting commenced, as officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) struggled to resolve technical issues affecting the BVAS machine.
Reacting after voting, the PDP candidate described the process as unacceptable, noting that similar challenges had occurred in previous elections at the same polling unit.
He said many of his supporters were still waiting to vote due to the malfunctioning device and vowed to formally report the incident to the appropriate authorities.
Oluyede also accused security personnel of intimidating some of his supporters at different polling units across the state, alleging that such actions undermined the democratic process.
The PDP candidate called on INEC to ensure greater transparency and efficiency in the conduct of elections, stressing that voters should not be disenfranchised due to technical failures.
Despite the challenges, he said he would remain at the polling unit to monitor the process and ensure that his supporters were given the opportunity to cast their votes.
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