An Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Presiding Officer collapsed on Saturday during the Anambra governorship election following tension and confusion at a polling unit.
The incident occurred at Polling Unit 005, Enugwu-Ukwu, in Njikoka Local Government Area, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The officer, identified as Miss Blessing Egoigwe, fainted amid mounting complaints from a large crowd after the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) malfunctioned. She was subsequently taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
More than 470 registered voters were unable to cast their ballots at the polling unit due to persistent BVAS failures, particularly issues with recognising the voter cards of newly registered voters.
Miss Blessing Okoye, an 18-year-old first-time voter, said she felt disappointed and discouraged after the machine failed to capture her fingerprint. She urged INEC to improve its systems.
“My hope to vote for a candidate of my choice was dashed by INEC today,” she lamented.
Another voter, 55-year-old Mrs. Ifeoma Iloeze, said she had waited since morning but was still unable to vote as the BVAS repeatedly failed to capture her face. She called for alternative voting methods in future elections to prevent such disenfranchisement.
NAN also reports that an INEC technician visited the affected polling unit, but the intervention resulted in only minimal improvement.
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