By Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
The Kwara state chapter of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has decried some observable flaws in the conduct of the Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections in the state, particularly the issue of malfunctioning of the Biometric Voters Accreditation System (BVAS)
Addressing journalists on Tuesday at the Party Secretariat in Ilorin, the state capital, the Chairman of the SDP, Alhaji AbdulAzeez Afolabi, said: “Reports from some of our polling agents confirmed that in many polling units (PU), many of the electorate were disenfranchised because the BVAS malfunctioned.
“In a particular PU, its function was epileptic by ‘approving’ a few electorate but ‘rejecting’ many. Regrettably, complaints lodged to the INEC officials on duty couldn’t make any difference.”
The Chairman faulted non transmission of Results electronically from the polling units to INEC’s website according to Section 62(2) of the Electoral Act, 2022 (as amended), saying the Electoral Act it is “unambiguously clear about the ‘Procedure and Collation of Results’, which mandated the INEC to transmit elections results electronically from polling units into its website.”
He said: “As we speak, INEC in Kwara State has failed to substantially comply with this provision as it has a backlog of results to be transmitted.
“On the creation of additional polling units, many of the electorate were disenfranchised by the problems created by the creation of additional polling units which saw the transfer of majority of voters from their traditional locations to other places.”
“Many voters were pretended to have been accredited even when the BVAS have not shown the green light as demanded by the electoral law.”
Afolabi condemned late distribution of electoral materials
In many polling units in the state, saying election materials were delayed for hours by INEC before distribution even when BVAS time was running.
Urging party members not to be wary or discouraged by the outcome of the elections, the Chairman assure party members as well as their teeming supporters that “we shall continue to provide the necessary leadership, support and logistics to ensure that everything legally possible is done to ensure victory in the coming governorship and house of assembly elections.”
He said: “We in the SDP shall not relent in our efforts to protect our votes and ensure that our members’ preference counts in determining who governs them in Kwara state.
“We appeal to our supporters to remain calm and never to allow the present situation to provoke them into violence. The leadership of this Party is on top of the situation and shall not rest on our oars until political justice is achieved, which we are not unaware that it may not be served on the plater of gold.”
On whether the Party would challenge the results of the elections in Kwara state in the law court, the Chairman said that would be determined by the leadership of the Party.
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