Atiku, Obi request court to allow them inspect election materials
Leading candidates in the last Saturday’s presidential election who are aggrieved with the outcome of the event have approached the Election Court in Abuja to permit them inspect the materials used for the February 25 election.
Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and his Labour Party counterpart, Mr Peter Obi, separately filed ex-parte motions at the PEC secretariat at the Court of Appeal, Abuja.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and two others are respondents in both motions filed in the first two days in March.
Their requests come as six states of the federation; Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo and Sokoto have dragged the federal government before the Supreme Court over the conduct, collation and announcement of the February 25, 2023 presidential and National Assembly elections.
The States want the apex court to declare that the pronouncement of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the winner of the presidential election and president-elect based on that election be voided by the court.
They are seeking “A declaration that the entire results of the Presidential Election conducted on the 25th of February, 2023 announced by the Chairman of INEC at the National Collation Centre, Abuja, in flagrant violation of the provisions of Sections 25; 47(2); 60 (1), (2), (4) & (5); 62; 64(4)(a) & (b); 70;
“and 148 of the Electoral Act, 2022, governing the 2023 nationwide general elections, particularly paragraphs 38 of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022; and paragraphs 2.8.4; 2.9.0; and 2.9.1 of the INEC Manual for Election Officials, 2023, for the conduct of the Presidential Election, were invalid, null and void, and of no effect whatsoever.
“A declaration that the fundamentally flawed electoral process through the non-uploading of the results of each of the 176,974 Polling Units nationwide, in respect of the presidential election and National Assembly Elections held on Saturday, 25th February 2023 was not in accordance with the provisions of Sections 25; 47(2); 60 (1), (2), (4) & (5); 62; 64(4)(a) & (b); 70; and 148; “of the Electoral Act, 2022, governing the 2023 nationwide general elections, particularly paragraphs 38 of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022; and paragraphs 2.8.4; 2.9.0; and 2.9.1 of the INEC Manual for Election Officials, 2023, for the conduct of the presidential election.
In addition, they are seeking “A declaration that the failure of the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission to electronically transmit or transfer Polling Unit Results in Form EC8A using BVAS by uploading Scanned Copy of the said Unit Result to the Independent National Electoral Commission Result Viewing Portal (IReV) after the counting and announcement of the Polling Units results on 25th of February, 2023 in collusion, violates the provision of Sections 25; 47(2); 60 (1), (2), (4) & (5); 62; 64(4)(a) & (b); 70; and 148 of the Electoral Act, 2022, governing the 2023 nationwide general elections, particularly paragraphs 38 of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022; and paragraphs 2.8.4; 2.9.0; and 2.9.1 of the INEC Manual for Election Officials, 2023, for the conduct of the presidential election.”
They are also seeking an order from the apex court “directing a holistic review of all results so far announced by the Federal Government of Nigeria through INEC which were carried out other than through the manner prescribed by the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022, the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022; and the INEC Manual for Election Officials.
“And for such further Orders as the Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstance.”
