The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has admitted Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines submitted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as evidence in the ongoing legal challenge to the September 21, 2024 governorship election.
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The submission follows a subpoena secured by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after INEC initially declined to release the machines voluntarily. The BVAS data is expected to play a central role in the tribunal’s review, particularly in verifying allegations of over-voting raised by the PDP.
According to preliminary findings, discrepancies appear to exist between the number of accredited voters recorded by BVAS and the final results declared by INEC in several polling units. PDP has argued that in multiple locations, the figures announced by the electoral commission exceeded the actual number of accredited voters, a claim that could have significant implications for the outcome of the petition.
During proceedings, a PDP collation agent from Akoko Edo Ward 9 testified under oath that while voting was conducted properly across the 13 polling units in the ward, the results collated at the ward level differed from those uploaded on INEC’s Result Viewing Portal (IREV). He stated that an alternative set of results was presented at the ward collation centre, which did not match polling unit records, prompting him to refuse to sign the collation result sheet.
A similar testimony was given by another PDP agent from Oredo Local Government, who, under oath, claimed that the final results declared by INEC in Ward 1 did not align with polling unit results or the data uploaded on IREV. The tribunal accepted certified true copies (CTCs) of exhibits submitted by the PDP, which allegedly highlight inconsistencies between official results and BVAS records.
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Legal analysts believe the acceptance of BVAS data as evidence represents a major step in the petition. The Supreme Court has previously ruled that BVAS is the primary source of accreditation data, making it a crucial reference point for assessing the validity of election results. If the tribunal finds significant discrepancies, it could lend weight to the PDP’s claims of electoral malpractice.
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Monday Okpebholo’s legal team are expected to scrutinise the evidence closely as they prepare their defence. The tribunal’s final ruling on the matter will determine whether the alleged irregularities were substantial enough to affect the election outcome.
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