INEC tenders BVAS Machines in Court as Edo Tribunal Hears Evidence of Over-Voting

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has submitted the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines used in the September 21 election to the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja. The submission follows a subpoena obtained by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after INEC initially declined to release the machines voluntarily. The BVAS […]

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has submitted the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines used in the September 21 election to the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja.

The submission follows a subpoena obtained by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after INEC initially declined to release the machines voluntarily.

The BVAS data, now before the Tribunal, is expected to provide crucial insight into the accreditation process, voter accreditation figures and final results declared in multiple polling units.

PDP has consistently maintained that the election was marred by over-voting, arguing that results announced by INEC exceeded the number of accredited voters in several locations.

During today’s proceedings, a PDP witness from Akoko Edo, who served as the ward 9 collation agent, testified that while elections were conducted properly in the 13 polling units within the ward, the results collated at the ward level differed from those uploaded on INEC’s Result Viewing Portal (IREV).

He stated that a duplicate set of results was presented at the ward collation center, which did not align with polling unit records, prompting his refusal to sign the ward collation result sheet.

In a separate testimony, a collation agent from Oredo Local Government presented evidence that the final results declared by INEC in Ward 1 did not correspond with any polling unit results or the data uploaded on IREV. The Tribunal accepted certified true copies (CTCs) of exhibits submitted by the PDP, which allegedly highlight inconsistencies between final declared results and actual polling unit figures.

The APC and Governor Monday Okpebholo’s legal team are expected to scrutinize the evidence closely as they prepare their defense.