INEC TENDERS BVAS MACHINE BEFORE EDO GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION TRIBUNAL

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The Bimodal Voter Accreditation Machine has been submitted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to the Edo State governorship election tribunal in Abuja.

Anthony Itodo, a senior technical officer in INEC’s ICT department, told the Tribunal that he produced 148 BVAS devices from 133 polling places when he appeared in court on a subpoena issued by the Tribunal on January 9.

Robert Emukpoeruo, the PDP’s attorney, informed the tribunal that because of the discrepancy in numbers, the machines’ true numbers should be confirmed.

However, Itodo noted that two BVAS devices were present in several of the polling stations.

In their submissions, counsel for Governor Monday Okpebolor, Onyechi Ikpeazu and Emmanuel Ukala for the APC, stressed that there was no need to stretch the BVAS machines issue out of proportion.

In a bid to clarify the issue, counsel to INEC, Kanu Agabi, confirmed to the tribunal that although there were 151 units, only 148 of them requested for the BVAS and only 148 related to the election.

Emukpoeruo then applied for the BVAs machine to be tendered as evidence to the tribunal, which was objected to by the defendants.

The panel, however, admitted them as evidence.