In order to be permitted to modify the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, it used for the recently concluded presidential election, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, filed an application. The Abuja-based Court of Appeal has scheduled Wednesday to consider the application’s merit.
On the day the Labour Party, LP, and its candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, filed a new application to be permitted to undertake a physical check of all the BVAS used for the presidential election, a three-member panel of the appellate court adjourned to rule on the application.
The purpose of the program, according to Obi and LP’s team of attorneys lead by Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, is to allow them to extract data buried in the BVAS, “which represent the actual results from Polling Units”.
They equally applied to obtain the Certified True Copy, CTC, of all the data in the BVAS.
“My lords, this is to ensure that the evidence is preserved before the BVAS are reconfigured by INEC. This is because if they are wiped out, it will affect the substance of the case”, Ikpeazu, SAN, said.
However, INEC urged the court to reject the application through a team of four Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SAN, led by Mr. Tanimu Inuwa.
Obi and LP’s proposal, according to INEC, will have an impact on its planning for the upcoming elections for the National Assembly and Governorship.
Some 176 000 BVAS were deployed to polling places during the presidential election, it informed the court.
However, INEC urged the court to reject the application through a team of four Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SAN, led by Mr. Tanimu Inuwa.
Obi and LP’s proposal, according to INEC, will have an impact on its planning for the upcoming elections for the National Assembly and Governorship.
“Each polling unit has its own particular BVAS machine which we need to configure for the forthcoming elections.
“It will be very difficult for us, within the period, to reconfigure the 176, 000 BVAS.
“We have already stated in our affidavit that no information in the BVAS will be lost as we will transfer all the data in the BVAS to our backend server
“We need the BVAS configured. So, granting this application will be a clog in the process and may delay the conduct of the elections”, INEC’s lawyer, Inuwa, SAN, pleaded.
The panel, under the direction of Justice Joseph Ikyegh, postponed making a decision until Wednesday after hearing from the parties.