Atiku, Obi raise alarm, demand immediate access to electoral materials

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) have demanded compliance with the orders granting them access to inspect materials used for the February 25 presidential elections.

A letter to the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu, by the PDP Legal Team signed by Joe-Kyari Gadzama (SAN) on Friday, said since the Court of Appeal on March 3 and 8 granted access to materials used for the election, but the commission has refused to comply.

The appellate court panel led by Justice Joseph Ikyegh had issued “an order allowing the PDP to carry out a forensic examination/analysis of the ballot papers, data form, BVAS/and or card readers, including copying and photocopying of the ballot papers, information stored in the computer server/IREV/backends/clouds and card readers and thumbprint analysis and to present and/or demonstrate by visual, electronic or documentary or any other means, the result of the forensic examination/analysis at the court as part of the proceedings.”

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But Gadzama said the legal team led by Adedamola Fanokun Esq, has been visiting INEC since the first order was made, and on each occasion, they were turned back because “there was no instruction yet from the commission”.

Similarly, the national chairman of LP, Julius Abure, in a Twitter, post bemoaned the failure of INEC to grant the party’s experts and lawyers access to the election materials and to scan or make photocopies of voters registration, ballot papers used, including to conduct a digital forensic inspection of BVAS machines used for the February 25 election.

“I want to say that since that order was made that we should be given the opportunity to inspect election materials, INEC has not allowed us access,” he said.

“We have been going there; our lawyers and technical experts have been going there daily.”