"My appeal to INEC is to urgently ensure that things are working. If the machines are not functioning properly, they should find a way to address the problem immediately. We cannot allow voters to be stranded because of equipment failure," he urged.

Drawing a comparison with modern banking technology, Ojudu questioned why election technology could still experience such challenges despite years of preparation.

"Banks deploy applications and platforms that millions of people use daily for transactions with minimal issues. This technology has been around for years, so one wonders why equipment deployed for such a crucial national assignment is still failing to perform optimally," he added.

The former senator warned that if the pace of accreditation remained unchanged, many voters could abandon the process out of frustration.

"If it takes 30 minutes per voter, multiply that by 500 voters and people could still be here tomorrow waiting to vote. Many may become discouraged and leave without exercising their franchise. That would be unfortunate for our democracy," he said.

He therefore urged INEC to intervene swiftly to restore public confidence and ensure that eligible voters are not denied the opportunity to participate in the election because of avoidable technical difficulties.

Despite his concerns, Ojudu maintained that the atmosphere at the polling unit remained peaceful and orderly, expressing hope that the challenges would be resolved before they significantly affect voter turnout across the state.