Presidential Election Petition Court Witnesses INEC’s Case Opening
The Presidential Election Petition Court commenced the case on July 4, 2023, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the petitioner. Dr. Lawrence Bayode, Deputy Director of INEC’s ICT Department, testified as the first witness. Dr. Bayode highlighted the responsibility of Presiding Officers to capture and upload Form EC8A onto the IREV Portal on election day.
During his testimony, Dr. Bayode confirmed the successful testing of the e-transmission system on February 4, 2023. He emphasized that the content of Form EC8A, including the Polling Unit election result captured with the BVAS, must match the uploaded version on the IREV Portal.
However, Dr. Bayode admitted his inability to identify the All Progressives Congress (APC) result on the blurry uploaded Form EC8A. Consequently, INEC promptly concluded its case.
The Presidential Election Petition Court adjourned the proceedings to July 5, 2023, when it will hear the cases presented by the second and third respondents, Mr. Tinubu and Mr. Shettima, respectively.
As the court proceedings continue, Nigeria awaits the outcome of the petition, knowing it holds significant implications for the future of the country’s democracy.