Enugu Guber: INEC Complies With Court Order, Tenders BVAS Machines

The Independent National Electoral Commission, today, tendered some BVAS machines in compliance with a subpoena issued to the state resident electoral commissioner, Chukwuemeka Chukwu, by the state Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on Saturday.

The tribunal, headed by Justice A. Akano, had issued the order through substituted means following the failure of the electoral body to tender the machines on Saturday, citing procedural issues.

There are however allegations that the machines brought were not from the Owo and Ugbawka wards which are under contention by Barr Chijioke
Edeoga, Labour Party’s governorship candidate in the March 18 guber election in the state.

Edeoga, in his petition, alleged over-voting and other irregularities in some of the results that INEC used to declare Barr Peter Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party the winner.

Labour Party had earlier complained to the tribunal that INEC was frustrating its efforts to examine the BiVAS machines used in accreditation and voting in some designated wards, especially at Owo in Nkanu East local government area where PDP scored about 30, 000 votes, which LP claims amounted to over-voting.

A source, however, told our correspondent that, “To avoid being held in contempt by the court, INEC brought only five BVAS machines but none of them was from Ugbawka and Owo which are the areas where over-voting were highest. They are trying to convince the court that the omitted machines were not among the ones requested in the subpoena but I don’t think that they succeeded as our lawyer read out from that subpoena the phrase ‘the BVAS machines used in the governorship election in Ugbawka and Owo registration areas’.”

As at the time of filing this report, the matter was still being argued at the tribunal. THE WHISTLER reports that today is the last day for the Labour Party to present its case in accordance with the Electoral Law.