Tension briefly flared at Saburi Village polling unit in Gwa Gwa Ward, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), during the ongoing FCT Area Council elections following a temporary malfunction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
A video circulating online captured a near commotion at the polling unit as some intending voters alleged that the BVAS device was rejecting voters with Igbo names during the accreditation process.
“Once it sees an Igbo name, it would reject,” one of the intending voters was heard saying in the footage, sparking murmurs and concern among those gathered.
The disruption reportedly stemmed from a technical glitch that temporarily affected the accreditation process, delaying voting at the unit.
However, an ad-hoc staff member of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) who was manning the polling unit was heard calming the crowd and assuring voters that the issue would be addressed.
The official maintained that the malfunction was technical and not targeted at any ethnic group, urging voters to remain patient while efforts were made to restore the device to full functionality.
As of the time of filing this report, normalcy was said to be gradually returning to the polling unit, with electoral officials working to resolve the BVAS issue and continue the accreditation process.
The incident adds to a series of logistical and technical challenges reported in parts of the FCT during the council polls.
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