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HomePoliticsINEC Submits BVAS Machines in Court as Edo Tribunal Reviews Overvoting Claims

INEC Submits BVAS Machines in Court as Edo Tribunal Reviews Overvoting Claims

The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal saw a major development today as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) submitted the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines used in the September 21 election.

This came after the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) obtained a subpoena, compelling INEC to release the machines, following its initial refusal to do so.

With the BVAS data now in the Tribunal’s possession, it is expected to offer crucial insight into voter accreditation.

According to the PDP, early assessments indicate inconsistencies between accreditation figures and the final results announced in several polling units. PDP has repeatedly argued that over-voting occurred, alleging that INEC’s declared results exceeded the number of accredited voters in multiple locations.

Testifying at today’s proceedings, a PDP witness from Akoko Edo, who was the ward 9 collation agent, stated that although elections were properly conducted in the ward’s 13 polling units, discrepancies emerged at the collation stage. He claimed that results recorded at the ward level did not match those uploaded on INEC’s Result Viewing Portal (IREV). Furthermore, he noted that a duplicate set of results was presented at the collation center, which differed from polling unit records, leading him to refuse to sign the ward collation result sheet.

Similarly, a collation agent from Oredo Local Government testified that the final results declared in Ward 1 by INEC did not match any polling unit figures or the data uploaded on IREV. In response, the Tribunal admitted certified true copies (CTCs) of PDP’s exhibits, which allegedly highlight discrepancies between the final declared results and polling unit figures.

The acceptance of BVAS machines into evidence marks a critical juncture in the petition, as the data stored in these devices will be key in assessing the validity of the election results.

BVAS records serve as a verifiable log of accredited voters at each polling unit, making them an essential benchmark against which declared results can be evaluated.

Legal analysts believe that the Tribunal’s decision to admit the BVAS machines represents a significant boost to Barr. Ighodalo’s petition.
The Supreme Court has ruled that BVAS machines are the primary source of accreditation data, reinforcing their importance in the review process.

The Tribunal’s scrutiny of BVAS records will be central to determining whether the PDP’s claims of over-voting hold merit.

Meanwhile, the legal team representing the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Monday Okpebholo is expected to carefully examine the evidence as they prepare their defense.

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