Edo: PDP, Ighodalo get court order to inspect electoral materials

Asue Ighodalo, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 21 governorship election in Edo State, has obtained a court order directing the INEC among other things to hand over the comprehensive list of all the electoral materials available in its custody for the inspection of Ighodalo and the PDP and “the taking of the certified true copy thereof.”

The order was given in the suit marked EPT/ED/GOV/01M/2024 between Ighodalo Asuerinme and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as applicants and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Okpebholo Monday and the All Progressives Congress (APC) as respondents.

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In the enrolled order dated Sunday, September 29, 2024, and signed by Mu’azu Ibrahim Bagudu, the secretary of the Election Tribunal, Justice W. I. Kpochi, the chairman of the tribunal, said that “having critically examined the details of the reliefs sought, the supporting affidavit and written address of counsel, the application is granted in the following terms:

“It is hereby ordered “That the 1st respondent is directed to grant the applicants or their solicitors and forensic documents examiners unfettered access to and open up for inspection all electoral documents or any document in the custody of the national chief electoral commissioner or any officer of the commission/1st respondent, particularly the voter registers, the ballot papers, the BVAS machines, Forms EC25B, EC 25B(1), Forms EC40A and Forms EC40C which were utilised for the conduct Of the Edo State Governorship Election held on September 21, 2024.

“That the 1st respondent is mandated to take immediate steps to ensure that all the Forms: EC25B, EC25B (I), EC40A, EC40C, EC40G, EC40G (I) used at the gubernatorial election of September 21, 2024, either in the custody of the chief national electoral commissioner, resident electoral commissioner of Edo State or any other officer of the Commission are preserved kept temper-proof and secure pending the filing, hearing and determination of the petition to be filed by the applicants.

“That the 1st respondent is further directed to produce and give to the applicants, forthwith upon payment of appropriate fees for certification, a list of accredited agents of all the political parties that participated in the Edo state gubernatorial election. Voters register for each of the polling units” among several other reliefs sought.

A member of the applicants’ legal team, Olusegun Jolaowo, submitted the order to the INEC and was told to come back the following day (Tuesday).

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Speaking to journalists thereafter, he said, “We came here today (Monday) in furtherance of our attempt to get materials to flesh up our petition in furtherance of the court order received on September 29, 2024.

“When we got here, we were unable to get an audience with the REC but we were able to meet with the head of the legal department who told us that they were preparing a schedule for our inspection.

“We have not been able to inspect because we have not been able to have access to the BIVAS (Bimodal Voter Authentication System) machines to conduct interrogation of the same with our team. So, where we are right now, is that we were told whenever the schedule is ready we would be contacted by INEC which is not what we expected today.”

Earlier on Monday, thousands of supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC), besieged the Benin City Edo State headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to protest an alleged plot by the PDP candidate, Ighodalo to tamper with result sheets and other election materials in the commission’s office ahead of the sitting of the Edo State Election Petition Tribunal.

Led by Dennis Idahosa, the deputy governor-elect, the protesters blocked the entrance into the INEC office, creating heavy gridlock around the area as they cautioned INEC against allowing anybody to tamper with the election documents.