Anambra Election: I'm shocked by INEC's technology breakdown- Soludo

Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), has expressed shock over the technology breakdown of the Bimodal Verification Accreditation (BVA) system. Supreme reports the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been experiencing technical challenges in the use of the BVA device to capture voters in some parts of the state.

Soludo, who arrived the Polling Unit 002 ,Ward 13, at Ofiyi Square, Isuofia in Aguata Local Government Area, at about 12:15p.m., could not be captured by the BVA system. He said that the BVA technology is a complete failure, and by almost 1.p.m. in the day, voting is yet to start in most of the polling units in the state. And in places where it was working, it took about 20 to 30 minutes to capture a voter. With the crowd, even if the device started working, it would not possible to finish up within record time.

He said it raised fundamental questions because he was quite shock to hear that the technology breakdown is happening all over the state. May be they would still be optimistic that the challenge would be fixed. He added had been there for over 20 minutes, yet there was no way. Soludo also decried the inadequacy of INEC staff and security personnel in some polling units. For example in Uke, there is a ward with 17 polling units but only five had INEC officials. The other 12, no officials.

He said that there is also the security issue, there in his polling unit, no single policeman. In Ihialla, he got a report that materials up still that time had not left the local government. It was a very unfortunate situation. He urged INEC to do the needful and make this process successful. Soludo, while urging INEC to fix the technology breakdown, said he was optimistic that the challenge would be addressed soon.

He continued that the INEC chairman assured that things would get better. So they are hoping the machines would start working. The APC candidate commended voters for turning out in large numbers to cast their votes. Before 8.a.m., people have turned out in large numbers, even before the arrival of INEC officials, it is very commendable. He urged their supporters to exercise patience and ensure they cast their votes whenever the machine starts working.