#EkitiDecides2026: Elderly Voters Wash Faces Repeatedly As BVAS Fails To Recognise Them, PWDs Crawl Across Polling Units In Ekiti Election

Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State– Elderly voters were seen repeatedly washing their faces in desperate attempts to be accredited after the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) failed to recognise and authenticate them during the Ekiti governorship election.

Findings from election observers and Situation Room monitors revealed that while the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System functioned properly in many polling units across the state, several incidents of malfunction were recorded in some locations, causing delays in accreditation and voting.

According to reports from observers, the malfunctioning devices particularly affected elderly voters, as the facial authentication feature repeatedly failed to recognise them, leaving many stranded and frustrated at polling centres.

Some elderly people reportedly washed their faces countless times in an effort to improve recognition by the devices, but many still could not be authenticated and risked being disenfranchised.

Observers further reported that officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were slow in responding to complaints arising from the technical failures.

Apart from technical failures, voters also reportedly experienced difficulties locating their designated polling units following the relocation of some polling centres by INEC.

The challenges appeared even more severe for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and elderly citizens, many of whom struggled to physically access voting locations due to poor accessibility arrangements.

Speaking during an interview with Afrika Eyes from the election Situation Room monitoring the Ekiti governorship election, Celesyine Okwudili Odo, Head of Programmes and Policy at ActionAid Nigeria, narrated one particularly troubling incident involving a person living with disability.

Odo said: “A particular case was a PWD who moved from four places without a wheelchair, was struggling, crawling to four places, he was still unable. So that was quite sympathetic.”

He added that greater consideration must be given to vulnerable groups in future election planning.

“So I think it’s also to factor these PWDs, while planning this, in terms of access, in terms of facilities to enable them also cast their vote,” he said.

Situation Room observers further reported several structural and logistical failures at polling centres across the state.

According to the reports, some voting cubicles were positioned in locations with staircases, creating additional obstacles for elderly persons and voters with disabilities.

The arrangement of some cubicles also reportedly compromised the secrecy of votes, as they were positioned in ways that could expose voters while casting their ballots.

In some instances, polling units were reportedly located in front of private residences, an arrangement said to be in contravention of electoral regulations.

Meanwhile, reports from TAF Africa, one of the partners in the Situation Room exercise, identified several polling units in Ado-Ekiti with little or no disability-inclusive resources.