INEC submits BVAS machines to tribunal as Edo election dispute deepens

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has submitted the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines used in the September 21, 2024, Edo State governorship election to the election tribunal, following a subpoena obtained by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was declared the winner of the election, but the PDP has fiercely contested the outcome, alleging that its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, was the rightful winner. The party claims that the election was marred by over-voting, with results exceeding the number of accredited voters in several locations.

During Thursday’s proceedings, a PDP witness from Akoko Edo, who served as the Ward 9 collation agent, testified that while voting was conducted properly in the 13 polling units within the ward, the results recorded at the collation center differed from those uploaded on INEC’s Result Viewing Portal (IREV).

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

Read also: Ighodalo’s witness exposes mountain of irregularities in Edo governorship election

Similarly, another PDP collation agent from Oredo Local Government testified that INEC’s final results in Ward 1 did not align with polling unit data or the figures uploaded to IREV.

The tribunal has since admitted certified true copies (CTCs) of exhibits submitted by the PDP, highlighting alleged inconsistencies in the declared results.

With the BVAS machines now in evidence, the tribunal is set to analyze their records, which serve as a verifiable benchmark for voter accreditation figures.

Legal analysts suggest that this development significantly bolsters the PDP’s petition, as the Supreme Court has previously ruled that BVAS data is the primary source for verifying accreditation figures in disputed elections.

As the legal battle unfolds, the APC and Governor Okpebholo’s legal team are expected to scrutinise the evidence closely in preparation for their defense. The tribunal’s findings on the BVAS data could prove decisive in determining the final outcome of the Edo governorship election dispute.