Sophia Michaels
The Presidential Election Petitions Court on Wednesday ruled that the Electoral Act 2022 did not make provision for electronic transmission of election results.
Delivering judgement in the petitions challenging the victory of Bola Tinubu in the February 25, 2023, presidential election, the five-man panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani, on Wednesday, September 6, said the only technological device that was mandatory for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to use for the election was the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
Still on the issue of non-compliance with the Electoral Act and INEC Regulations and Guidelines, Justice Tsammani said there is nothing in the regulation to show that the BVAS must electronically transmit polling units results.
The Tribunal held that the commission’s Results Viewing Portal (IReV) is not a collation system and the judgment in the case of Oyetola vs. INEC clearly supports this.
“There is no provision for the electronic transmission of election results in the Electoral Act 2022,” says Justice Tsammani. “It is at best optional.”
