On the 4th of July, 2023, the Presidential Election Petition Court witnessed the opening of the case presented by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Their first witness, Dr. Lawrence Bayode, the Deputy Director of the ICT Department at INEC, took the stand. Dr. Bayode emphasized that part of the Presiding Officer’s responsibility on election day was to capture Form EC8A and upload it onto the IREV Portal.
During his testimony, Dr. Bayode confirmed that the e-transmission system had been tested on the 4th of February, 2023, and deemed functional. He also acknowledged that the content of Form EC8A, which includes the Polling Unit election result captured with the Biometric Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), must match the uploaded version on the IREV Portal.
However, when asked to identify the result of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the uploaded form EC8A, Dr. Bayode admitted that he was unable to do so due to the blurriness of the uploaded result. Following this revelation, INEC promptly closed its case.
The Presidential Election Petition Court subsequently adjourned the proceedings to the following day, the 5th of July, 2023. On this day, the court is set to hear the case presented by the second respondent, Mr. Tinubu, and the third respondent, Mr. Shettima.
As the court proceedings continue, the nation eagerly awaits the outcome of the petition, which holds significant implications for the future of Nigeria’s democracy.
Diamondhead (
)
