The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room has raised concerns over voter apathy and technical glitches associated with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) during the Ekiti State governorship election held on Saturday.
The coalition said it deployed more than 200 accredited observers across the state’s 16 local government areas through direct observation and its Situation Room Election Accountability Tracker (SEAT) platform.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Monday, the Co-Convener of the Situation Room and Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Celestine Odo, said the election was generally peaceful but marred by low voter turnout and isolated operational challenges.
The coalition of civil society organisations noted that election officials and materials arrived on time in most polling units, with voting commencing early in about 92 per cent of observed locations.
However, it said turnout remained low despite a high level of Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection.
Citing figures from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Situation Room said that out of 1,028,929 registered voters who collected PVCs, 384,940 were accredited, while 382,109 votes were cast, representing a turnout of about 37.1 per cent.
It said the figure reflects a continuing pattern of voter disengagement in off-cycle governorship elections in Nigeria.
On election technology, the group said BVAS functioned satisfactorily in most polling units but recorded isolated failures that caused delays in voter accreditation and voting processes.
It listed affected polling units to include St. Andrew Primary School in Ado-Ekiti, Ayegunle Street in Aiyekire Local Government Area, parts of Ise/Orun Local Government Area, St. Michael’s Primary School in Ado-Ekiti, and St. Luke’s African Primary School in Oye Local Government Area.
Situation Room noted that in some instances, BVAS failed to authenticate elderly voters using facial recognition, resulting in temporary disruptions.
It further observed that the upload of polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) began around 4:30 p.m. on election day, with over 85 per cent of results uploaded by evening.
While describing the security environment as largely peaceful, the coalition said security personnel were visible in most polling units, though it called for further investigation into isolated incidents reported during the exercise.
It flagged inconsistencies in electoral materials, noting discrepancies between the number of political parties earlier announced by INEC and those reflected on ballot papers and result sheets.
According to the group, such inconsistencies created confusion, as voters reportedly cast ballots for parties that did not field candidates.
“Election officials largely adhered to prescribed voting procedures in observed polling units, while polling officials demonstrated familiarity with election guidelines and voting was generally conducted in an orderly manner.
“However, there were inconsistencies between the number of political parties contained in INEC’s earlier communication, printed ballot papers and result sheets,” he said.
Situation Room raised concerns over alleged electoral breaches, including instances of voter inducement, delayed commencement of polls in some areas, and isolated violations of voting procedures.
On inclusion, it said persons with disabilities, elderly voters and nursing mothers faced accessibility challenges, including inaccessible polling units, poorly positioned voting cubicles, and relocation of polling units without adequate notice.
The coalition urged INEC to undertake a comprehensive review of logistical and operational challenges ahead of future elections and ensure greater clarity in electoral procedures, particularly on the use of PVCs.
It called for stronger enforcement against electoral offences, deeper internal democracy within political parties, and renewed efforts by stakeholders to address declining voter turnout and strengthen public confidence in elections.
Odo commended voters in Ekiti State for their peaceful participation and acknowledged the efforts of election officials, security agencies, political parties, observers and the media.
He said lessons from the Ekiti governorship election should inform reforms aimed at strengthening electoral integrity and democratic participation in Nigeria.