BVAS: Labour Party threatens to protest at INEC offices over snub of court order

The Labour Party has threatened to embark on a protest at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) offices across the country over the commission’s refusal to allow inspection of materials used for last month’s presidential election.

The Court of Appeal, Abuja, had earlier this month given the LP presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and its Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Atiku Abubakar, the go-ahead to inspect the sensitive materials used for the election.

The court also approved INEC’s request to reset its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines.

In a statement issued on Friday by the spokesman for its Presidential Campaign Council, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, the party decried the commission’s refusal to comply with the court order.

READ ALSO: APC warns INEC to ensure BVAS data is protected

The statement read: “The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with greatest impunity has refused, neglected and failed to obey the Order of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja made on 3rd of March 2023, directing it to grant the Labour Party and its presidential candidate, H.E. Peter Gregory Obi, leave to apply and receive from INEC, certified true copies of materials used in the presidential election held on 25th February 2023.

“Not minding the service of the said order on INEC, and a reminder letter dated the 6th day of March 2023 and delivered the same date at the INEC Headquarters Abuja, the electoral umpire has continued to ignore and or disobey the valid order of such magnitude till now.

“As we speak INEC has chosen to obey the court order given to it to reconfigure the BIVAS machine, which they doing right now and ignoring the order granted to us to inspect electoral materials.

“We, therefore, call on the general public to note the level of lawlessness and brazen disobedience to a lawful order of a court by an important statutory agency such as INEC, which is a well-calculated attempt to undermine and frustrate the presentation of the Petition by the Labour Party and its Presidential candidate before the tribunal in good time.

“We, therefore, want to state that we will not fail to call our supporters to march to INEC offices nationwide in a non-violent protest which is allowed by law. This is to curtail the flagrant disobedience to court orders by INEC.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now