Osun Decides: KDI Reports Late Opening, 15.3% BVAS Failure Rate

The Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) has reported delays in the opening of some polling units and technical challenges with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) during the Osun State governorship election.

In its preliminary statement, KDI said the assessment was based on reports received through its Election Day Data Room (EDDR) as of 12 noon on Saturday.

The organisation deployed 370 trained and accredited observers across all 30 local government areas, 332 wards and 1,660 polling units in the state.

The deployment comprised 332 stationary observers, 30 roving observers and eight faculty members responsible for senior-level oversight and independent verification of field reports.

KDI said 56.1 per cent of polling units reporting to its data room recorded the arrival of INEC officials early or on time, while 43 per cent reported late arrival.

The highest concentration of late-arrival reports was recorded in Ifedayo, Osogbo, Ola-Oluwa, Ayedaade, Iwo, Ayedire, Atakumosa West, Odo-Otin and Irepodun.

Despite the delays, the condition of election materials was largely positive, with 98.9 per cent of reports indicating that materials were intact.

Only 1.1 per cent of reports indicated that materials were not intact.

KDI said BVAS accounted for 1.1 per cent of reports involving missing or unavailable materials. It cited an incident at Open Space Awobiogun Junction in Ede South Local Government Area, where a BVAS was reportedly sent from the RAC within 20 minutes.

On the commencement of voting, 79.3 per cent of polling observations recorded voting operations beginning before 8:45am.

Another 19.8 per cent commenced between 8:45am and 9:59am, while 0.9 per cent began at 10am or later.

KDI said the figures showed that while most polling units commenced operations within the expected early-morning period, the timing was not uniform across the state.

It warned that delays could place additional pressure on polling operations later in the day, potentially resulting in extended voting periods, voter congestion and other operational challenges.

The organisation also identified BVAS performance as an important factor in the early conduct of the election.

According to its preliminary data, the accreditation system recorded an 84.7 per cent success rate, against a 15.3 per cent failure rate among accreditation attempts captured by its monitoring system.

KDI said accreditation times also varied, with some voters accredited within one to two minutes.

However, it noted that BVAS-related challenges were particularly concentrated in Ifedayo, Ife North, Osogbo, Ayedaade, Irepodun, Iwo and Egbedore.

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The organisation said the 15.3 per cent reported failure rate warranted continued attention, particularly where technical difficulties coincided with long accreditation times or queues.

KDI stressed that the statement was only a preliminary assessment and “not a final assessment of the election or its outcome.”

It said its observers would continue monitoring the process through the close of polls, counting and collation before issuing a comprehensive end-of-day assessment.

The findings come as voting, sorting and counting continue at different locations across Osun State, with political parties, observers and voters closely monitoring the process.