Ogun 2023 Guber: Tribunal grants NNPP permission to inspect BVAS

The New Nigeria Peoples Party's request to view all the sensitive materials, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines used during the state's governorship election, was allowed by the Ogun State Election Petitions Tribunal.

A copy of the decision regarding the motion ex-parte, which was filed on Monday, March 20, 2023, was obtained by our correspondent on Monday (today). It revealed that the NNPP was an applicant and INEC, Abiodun, and the APC were respondents.

In the motion ex-parte submitted at the Isabo court in Abeokuta, the tribunal granted each and every request made by the state chapter of the NNPP.

The All Progressives Congress' Dapo Abiodun was proclaimed the victor of the state's March 18 governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The state's governorship election saw participation from 13 political parties, including the NNPP.

The state chairman of the party, Olaposi Oginni, provided an eight-paragraph affidavit in support of the motion ex-parte.

The NNPP had protested that the Election Act's requirement that INEC publish the party name on the ballots for governorships was not followed.

But, before filing its petition, the party went to the tribunal and requested permission to copy, scan, and record all sensitive papers utilized by INEC in the state's just concluded governorship election.

The party declared that it will ask for the annulment of the state's election in 2023 because its name and logo were not included on the ballots.

Judge Argum Ashom, the tribunal's chairperson, granted the prayers after agreeing with the NNPP's requests.

He said, “That materials constituting this ex-parte application, particularly the reliefs, the grounds and supporting affidavit all boil down to the fact that the applicant desires to challenge the elections conducted by the 1st respondents on 18/3/2023.

“An order granting leave to the application to move this motion ex-parte before the pre-hearing session of this honourable tribunal.

“An order respondent to forthwith grant access to the applicants and their Solicitors, agents, experts and other staff to inspect, photocopy, scan, paid for and obtain certified true copies of all documents used by the 1st respondent for the conduct of the Ogun State governorship election held on the 18 of March, 2023 for the purpose of instituting and maintaining an Election Petition; the said documents which are in the custody of the 1st respondent, and as contained in the schedule attached to the affidavit in support of this application.

“An order directing the 1st respondent to promptly abide by the orders of this Tribunal made in terms of this ex-parte application. And for such other order(s) as the honourable tribunal may deem fit to make in the circumstances.

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