…..witness responsible for training individuals on the use of BVAS Machines, confirmed presiding officers responsible for transmitting Form EC8A to server.

The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Lafia, the capital of Nasarawa state, has received certified copies of BVAS (Biometric Voter Authentication System) and IREV (INEC Results Viewing) results as evidence presented by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in their case against the declaration of Alhaji Audu Sule of the All Progressive Congress (APC) as the winner of the March 18th Governorship election.

During the recent hearings that spanned three days, witnesses subpoenaed by the tribunal submitted various documents, including BVAS Reports, IRev CTC Printouts of Form EC8A, payment receipts, and satisfaction pages.

These documents are crucial in supporting the PDP’s claims of irregularities, result mutilation, and inflation in specific polling units and electoral wards across the state.

The admissibility of the subpoenaed witnesses and their presented documents faced objections from the respondents’ counsel, who reserved their arguments for the address stage. These objections, along with the petitioner’s responses, are expected to be addressed at an appropriate time.

One of the subpoenaed witnesses, a Deputy Director of Information/Communication Technology (ICT) at the INEC National Headquarters in Abuja, clarified their role in the election process. The witness confirmed their presence at the INEC National Control Room during the March 18th Guber Election, where they supervised the real-time transmission of Form EC8A to the INEC IRev Portal/server.

The witness, responsible for training individuals on the use of BVAS Machines and generating reports from the INEC IRev server, confirmed that presiding officers were responsible for transmitting Form EC8A to the server. They also verified that a vast majority of the Polling Units’ results (99.67%) were successfully uploaded to the INEC IRev Portal.

Moreover, the witness emphasized that BVAS Machines could transmit Form EC8A to the INEC IRev server either online or offline as required. They acknowledged their familiarity with the electoral guidelines, manuals, and the 2022 Act as Amended, asserting that the election was conducted substantially in compliance with these regulations.

Notably, the witness acknowledged that the petitioner had obtained certified true copies of the documents presented in court and affirmed that these documents were consistent with the publicly available ones on the IRev server.

Following the cross-examinations, the Petitioner’s counsel requested the discharge of the witness from the stand. Additionally, they asked for the proper numbering of Form EC8A code 011 of Ashige Ward, Lafia LGA, which was tendered on June 24th, 2023, to ensure clarity.

The counsel also requested that the BVAS Machines mentioned in previous proceedings be brought by the Nasarawa State INEC subpoena witness on the next adjourned date to expedite the justice process.

The chairman of the three-man Governorship Election Petition Panel, Mr. Ezekiel Ajayi, graciously adjourned the Tribunal sitting to July 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th, and 29th, 2023, for the continuation of the hearing.

The Tribunal’s upcoming proceedings hold the promise of shedding further light on the disputed election, providing a vital platform for the presentation of evidence and arguments from both the petitioners and the respondents.