As of 12:10 PM on Saturday, Mr. Philip Shaibu, a former deputy governor of Edo State, had not yet cast his vote due to the malfunction of the BIVAS machine used for voter accreditation and voting.
At Unit 5, Ward 11, located in Azama Primary School in the Estako West Local Government Area, many voters were waiting for INEC officials to repair or replace the machine so they could exercise their civic rights.
In response to the situation, Shaibu expressed his disappointment in a conversation with reporters, but remained hopeful that the electoral officers would provide a working BIVAS machine to facilitate voting.
He noted, “We’ve been here for a while, and the machine isn’t functioning. Reports from other units in this local government indicate they aren’t facing similar issues, so it’s just here.
“However, I won’t jump to conclusions and assume it’s sabotage because the INEC officer has assured us they will bring a working machine and extend voting hours to ensure we can vote. I can see the INEC team is actively working on it.”
