7th March, 2023
By Edith Nwapi/ Wandoo Sombo
The Court of Appeal will on Wednesday deliver ruling in the application by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) seeking to vary the ex parte order made in favour of Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), with regards to inspection of materials used for the presidential election.
Specifically, INEC is seeking the permission of the court to configure the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for the governorship election.
INEC in its motion dated March 4, asked the appellate court to
The appellate court had on March 3, granted leave to Atiku Abubakar of the PDP and Mr Peter Obi of Labour Party to inspect election materials used by INEC to conduct the Feb. 25 presidential election.
The court granted permission following two separate ex parte applications filed by Atiku and Obi, who came second and third respectively in the presidential election won by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The commission is asking the court to vary the order to allow it to reconfigure its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for the March 11 governorship and state houses of assembly elections.
Counsel to INEC, Tanimu Inuwa , SAN said the application became necessary following an order restraining it from tampering with the information embedded in the BVAS machines until due inspection was conducted and Certified.
He added that the commission would require sufficient time to reconfigure the BVAS needed to conduct the election that would take place on Saturday.
He told the court that INEC would “upload from back-end”.
In his argument, counsel for Obi, Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu , SAN prayed the court not to grant INEC’s application for granting it would mean losing the original information there.
” All we are seeking is for a physical inspection of the BVAS so that the evidence is obtained before it will be configured ” he told the court.
He therefore, opposed INEC application and urged the court not to grant it.
The three-member panel of the appellate court after listening to their submissions adjourned until Wednesday for ruling.
NAN)