The bye election for Ikenne, Remo North and Sagamu Federal Constituency of Ogun State commenced on Saturday with low turn out and non – recognition of facial data of the elderly voters by BIVAS in some polling centres.

At the Igan/Ajina polling unit 16, ward 2 in Remo North Local Government, there were 445 registered voters at the centre but as of 11:am, just 64 people were available and accredited to vote. Even with the few turn out, the BIVAS machine encountered challenges identifying the elderly voters.

The situation was pathetic for the 70 – year old Sobanke Fassasi, who lamented he had not been to cast ballot for the candidate of his choice, saying the BIVAS machine failed to recognise him despite repeated trials.

Fassasi gave his polling centre as Wesley School Isara 2, polling unit 006 in Moborode/ Oke – Ola area of Remo North where voters turn out was also poor.

“I’m surprised and sad because I have not been able to vote. I came forward two times for accreditation and each time the BIVA$ could not recognise my face. I don’t know what happened,” he said.

A female Corps member handling the BIVAS told The Nation that the machine was failing to recognise elderly voters.

It was the same at Wesley School Isara 1, polling unit 005 in the same Moborode/ Oke – Ola area of Remo North.

The situation was also not different at the Ajegunle ward 6, polling unit 1 in Ogere, Ikenne Local Government Area where low turn – out and voters apathy were visible.

Also, voters turn was also low at polling unit 005, Town Planning Ilisan 1, where 953 was recorded as registered voters but 98 recorded as accredited voters for the bye – election that would end at 2:30pm.

At the Wesley Nursery & Primary School Iperu, polling unit 4, in Iperu 3 area of Ikenne Local Government, the voting centre of the 2023 governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu, an INEC official gave 750 as number of registered voters and 123 as accredited as of 12:03pm.

And as of 12:43 Adebutu was yet to arrive at his polling centre but the peace at the venue was ruptured when hooded boys armed with dane guns stormed the place, forcing accredited voters in the queue and journalists at the scene to flee for safety when gunshots rang out.

The hoodlums also chased the party agents and INEC officials before carting ballot boxes away after they had forced voting to end abruptly. (The Nation)