Blessing Omale, Abuja
The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Thursday accepted the Bimodal Verification Accreditation System (BVAS) used in 133 polling units during the September 21, 2024, governorship election as part of the ongoing legal proceedings.
The tribunal, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, acknowledged the BVAS machines after they were tendered by an official from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The presentation followed a subpoena issued by the tribunal on January 9, 2025, which directed INEC, the first respondent in the suit filed by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Mr. Asue Ighodalo, to produce the devices.
The petitioners are challenging the declaration of Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the election, with one of the primary grounds being allegations of over-voting.
The BVAS machines are expected to help address this issue.
At the tribunal’s resumed hearing on Thursday, the PDP, after calling two witnesses, drew attention to INEC’s compliance with the tribunal’s order.
The petitioners stated that their next witnesses would present evidence related to over-voting and would rely on the BVAS data for this.
Anthony Itodo, a Senior Technical Officer in INEC’s Information Communication Technology (ICT) Department, informed the court that he had brought a total of 148 BVAS machines used in 133 polling units. However, the petitioners’ lawyer, Robert Emukpoeruo, SAN, pointed out a discrepancy, stating that he had been informed that 151 machines had been brought.
INEC’s lawyer, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN, clarified that while 151 machines were delivered, only 148 were applicable to the 133 polling units.
Although INEC did not oppose the submission of the BVAS devices, lawyers for the governor and APC objected, with the details of their objections to be presented at a later date.
In a brief ruling, the three-member panel of the tribunal accepted the BVAS machines as exhibits, marking a key development in the petition proceedings.
