World Trade Organization Boss, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike were among voters delayed by hours at polling units across Nigeria on Saturday, due to malfunctioning of the electronic system to verify voters at many centers and election workers late arrival.
Voters at sites in every corner of the country reported problems with the new electronic Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, or BVAS, which is meant to smooth out the voting process. Instead, the devices, which don’t need internet connection, weren’t accrediting citizens.
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Nyesom Wike was seen waiting 20 minutes to cast his ballot at a polling station in the state capital, Port Harcourt, while a person mopped sweat from his brow. He was asked to come back later while more than 100 people remained in the queue behind him. World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala tweeted that she was waiting to vote for an hour but election officials weren’t present.
Meanwhile, at several centers across the country, few people were able to cast their ballot as late as 11 a.m. because of the glitches. Polls were scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m.