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- Pix(above): Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chair
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has pleaded with the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) to vary the orders granted the candidates of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to inspect materials used for February 25 presidential election.
INEC, in a motion on notice filed on March 4, is praying the court to vary the order which restrained it from tampering with materials used for the election, noting that the commission needed to reconfigure the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for the next round of elections, March 11.
The State Online had earlier reported that the Presidential Election Court (PEC) in Abuja, had, on Friday, granted unfettered access to the presidential candidates of the Labour Party (LP) , Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar of PDP to inspect materials used for the February 25 presidential election.
A three-member panel presided over by Justice Joseph Ikyegh, granted the permission as sought in two separate motions ex-parte filed by Obi and Atiku.
While Atiku filed his own on March 1, Obi’s motion was filed the next day, March 2.
They both have the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) listed as respondents.
Adedamola Falokun , who appeared for Atiku, moved his motion, while Alex Ejesieme (SAN) moved Obi’s motion, which the court granted.
The court, among others, ordered INEC to allow both applicants access to the materials used for the last presidential election.
It also directed INEC and its officials to allow them to inspect the materials on a day-to-day basis.
But just a week to the Saturday, March 11 gubernatorial and state assembly elections, INEC went back to the court to plead for variation of the order, to enable it reconfigure the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for the next round of elections, March 11, fueling suspicion of some sort.
As at the time of filing this report, details of the court’s response to INEC’s variation request is still being awaited. Will it grant it? Will it reject? Only time shall tell./SHARE THIS
…Details Shortly…