Controversy has erupted in Enugu State, following the Governorship Election Tribunal’s order authorising the Labour Party (LP) to inspect the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) used for voter accreditation in the March 18 governorship election.
The order followed an application by LP’s governorship candidate in the election, Chijioke Edeoga, to the tribunal to be allowed access to the facility to enable him prosecute his petition against the declaration of Peter Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as winner of the election.
The exercise, which was to be held at the Independent National electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters, in Enugu, was thwarted midway, following disagreement between LP members, officials of the commission and some chairmen of other political parties in the state over modalities.
Briefing journalists after the botched exercise, the LP accused the commission of deliberately refusing it to carry out the tribunal’s order, while the commission and members of other political parties, on hand, accused the LP team of attempting to “tamper” with the BVAS machines.
The LP members, led by its deputy governorship candidate, Dr. John Nwokoabia, said they arrived at the premises of the commission by 9:00 a.m. with their forensic expert, but were allegedly told not undertake the exercise without agreeing with PDP.
Addressing journalists, the spokesman of the Edeoga Campaign Organisation, George Ugwu, accused INEC of partisanship in an exercise where it was supposed to be the umpire, calling on well-meaning Nigerians to advise the electoral body to toe the path of honour by respecting the court order.
Ugwu said: “We do not understand what these people are doing. As you can see, we arrived here expecting to inspect the BVAS machines. How INEC invited the PDP and insisted they would have to agree before we carry out the inspection is what we don’t understand. This is the height of impunity, and we want Nigerians to bear witness that the commission is not only showing unhindered partisanship, but also disobeying an order of the tribunal to frustrate our search for justice.”
But, chairmen of other political parties, who also briefed journalists, insisted that the exercise was aborted because the LP team attempted to tamper with the BVAS machines, warning that such “rascally behaviours” could set the state on fire.
