If the appeal court does not change its decision about the relief it provided to the Labour Party LP candidate Peter Obi and the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Atiku Abubakar, Saturday’s governorship and state assembly elections across the nation may be postponed.
According to a statement made by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines must be reset before Saturday’s federation-wide gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections can take place.
Recall that early last week the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was barred by the court from altering the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) used in last Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly Elections.
According to INEC, the order granted to inspect the machines should be varied.
The electoral agency explained that it required adequate time to reconfigure the BVAS machines before the polls.
Nevertheless, the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) sitting in Abuja is expected to rule today on the LP’s legal battle with the electoral umpire.
It will also rule on the motions by the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), for leave to inspect materials used by the commission during the recent presidential election.
Among the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs was: An order granting the applicants permission to do electronic scanning and make photocopies of voter’s registration, and ballot papers used in the conduct of the election for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria held on the 25th day of February 2023.
“An order granting leave to the applicants to carry out Digital Forensic Inspection of BVAS machines used for the conduct of the 25th February 2023 election for the Office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The plaintiffs also sought an order restraining “the First Respondent from tampering with the information embedded in the BVAS machines until the due inspection was conducted and Certified True Copies of them issued”.
The court granted the reliefs and with regards to the BVAS, said; “That leave is hereby granted to the applicants to carry out Digital Forensic Inspection of BVAS machines used for the conduct of the 25th February 2023 Election for the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
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