PDP, Atiku Drag INEC To Election Tribunal, Table Fresh Request

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar will today return to the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) with an application seeking an order to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to allow them, or their agents, participate in the process of sorting out the ballot papers used for the election.

The motion exparte marked CA/PEC/10M/2023 is predicated on 11 grounds, including that the applicants want to ensure the sanctity and propriety of the documentary and electronic evidence in the custody of INEC to enable them maintain the election petition in challenging the result declared by the electoral body.

According to Guardian, the applicants said there is a need for them to observe/participate in the said sorting and exercise in all the offices of INEC nationwide so as to enable them effectively comply with the order of the tribunal made on March 3, 2023, granting them leave to inspect, scan, carry out forensic examination and analysis of the ballot papers, data form, BVAS/and or card readers, including photocopying of the ballot papers, information stored in the computer server/IREV among others.

The applicants also harped on the need to have their agents, officials and representatives present at the sorting out of the said documents at all the offices of INEC where the exercise is scheduled to take place nationwide so as to ensure transparency and that the ballot papers are not tampered with.

The motion exparte filed by their lead counsel, Joe Kyari Gadzama (SAN) is supported by six paragraphs affidavit, deposed to by Nanchang Ndam, a litigation secretary to the lead team set up by the applicants to challenge the outcome of the February 25 presidential election.

Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, as the winner of the February 25 presidential election.

According to the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Tinubu scored a total of 8,794,726 votes, to defeat 17 other candidates who took part in the election.

However, Labour Party Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Atiku Abubakar, have challenged Tinubu’s victory at the Presidential Tribunal.