November 06, (THEWILL) – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended voting in the Anambra governorship poll to Sunday.
This is to make up for the many delays caused by the malfunctioning of the Bimodal Accreditation System (BVAS), which did not allow a significant number of voters to vote.
The extension was disclosed in Awka on Saturday by the state INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr Nkwachukwu Orji, during a news briefing.
He said the measure became necessary to enable eligible voters to cast their votes in the areas affected by the malfunctioning device.
He said: “In line with existing regulations and guidelines of the Commission, any intending voter who is on the queue by 4.00 pm shall be allowed to vote.
“The extension of time arose out of several field reports that voters have had problems with accreditation.
”The Commission is currently investigating the reason the accreditation devices, Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), have worked perfectly in some Polling Units, but not in others.
“In cases of malfunction of the BVAS, the Presiding Officer must inform the voters and polling agents that accreditation and voting shall continue tomorrow or at another time determined by the Commission,” he said.
The INEC official said all votes will count and asked for calm from all parties involved in the election.
About the Author
