… BVAS,IREV primary source of conducting elections
In a remarkable turn of events, Chief Dr. Kanu Godwin Agabi, the counsel for the petitioners, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and David Emmanuel Ombugadu said both the petitioners and respondents in the ongoing proceedings voiced unanimous agreement on the unparalleled reliability of BVAS IREV as the instrument of choice for election integrity.
Agabi urged the tribunal to place unwavering trust in this mutually endorsed evidence, emphasizing its pivotal role in the case.
Agabi highlighted that the BVAS IREV, which served as the primary source of accreditation and results uploads during the election, was submitted by the INEC Directorate of ICT. He fervently urged the tribunal to prioritize these reliable documents in their judgment.
Furthermore, the counsel emphasized the significance of Form ECA8S, the polling units’ results, as the most dependable ones. He urged the court to refer to Form EC8AS, EC8Bs, EC8Cs, and EC8D in case of any contradictions or conflicts in figures, giving precedence to EC8AS for extracting valid judgments.
One notable point raised was the absence of a cross petition from the petitioners. Agabi argued that this indicated the petitioners’ lack of new issues to raise and instead focused solely on defending their victory without presenting any form of defense against the petition.
In cases where both parties raised concerns about vote reduction, Agabi asserted that the tribunal should refer to the universally accepted Form EC8AS from BVAS IREV.
Concluding his appeals, Agabi made a passionate plea for the tribunal to consider these arguments, asserting that David Emmanuel Ombugadu of PDP was the authentic winner of the elections and should be declared as such.
In his final remarks, Agabi called on the respondents’ counsel to graciously concede defeat in the spirit of sportsmanship.
In response to these appeals, Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Ezekiel Ajayi, acknowledged that the tribunal had taken note of all the prayers. He subsequently adjourned the sitting to a date that will be communicated to the parties involved for the final judgment.
