INEC

The Supreme Court case filed by seven federated states to overturn Bola Tinubu’s election victory and become the next president of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been dropped.

The states of Adamawa State, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Taraba, and Sokoto filed a notice of discontinuance of the matter on Friday through a team of attorneys led by Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN.

The plaintiffs had petitioned the supreme court to overturn the results of the presidential and national assembly elections that were held on February 25. They claimed that INEC had violated the Election Act of 2022.

According to the plaintiffs, INEC did not properly transmit and compile the election results from the 36 federation states and the FCT as required by the Electoral Act.

In the lawsuit titled SC/CV/354/2023, the six states currently controlled by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, additionally claimed that INEC had taken down the webpage hosting the regulations and guidelines it had previously established for the elections.

Correspondingly, they applied for an order of the apex court, mandating “a holistic review of all results so far announced by the Federal Government of Nigeria through the INEC which were carried out other than through the manner prescribed by the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022, the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022; and the INEC Manual for Election Officials”.

“A declaration that the Federal Government of Nigeria, the INEC, was bound to electronically transmit or transfer Polling Unit Results in Form EC8A using BVAS by uploading Scanned Copy of the said Unit Result to the Independent National Electoral Commission Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in the course of the General Elections held on the 25th of February, 2023 throughout the Federation in compliance with the provision of Sections 25; 47(2); 60 (1), (2), (4) & (5); 62; 64(4)(a) & (b); 70; and 148 of the Electoral Act, 2022, governing the 2023 nationwide general elections, particularly paragraphs 38 of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022; andparagraphs 2.8.4; 2.9.0; and 2.9.1 of the INEC Manual for Election Officials, 2023, for the conduct of the Presidential Election.

“A declaration that the failure of the Federal Government of Nigeria, the INEC, to electronically transmit or transfer Polling Unit Results in Form EC8A using BVAS by uploading Scanned Copy of the said Unit Result to the Independent National Electoral Commission Result Viewing Portal (IReV) after the counting and announcement of the Polling Units results on 25th of February, 2023 in collusion, violates the provision of Sections 25; 47(2); 60 (1), (2), (4) & (5); 62; 64(4)(a) & (b); 70; and 148 of the Electoral Act, 2022, governing the 2023 nationwide general elections, particularly paragraphs 38 of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022; and paragraphs 2.8.4; 2.9.0; and 2.9.1 of the INEC Manual for Election Officials, 2023, for the conduct of the Presidential Election.

“A declaration that the fundamentally flawed electoral process through the non-uploading of the results of each of the 176,974 Polling Units nationwide, in respect of the Presidential Election and National Assembly Elections held on Saturday, 25th February 2023 were not in accordance with the provisions of Sections 25; 47(2); 60 (1), (2), (4) & (5); 62; 64(4)(a) & (b); 70; and 148 of the Electoral Act, 2022, governing the 2023 nationwide general elections, particularly paragraphs 38 of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022; and paragraphs 2.8.4; 2.9.0; and 2.9.1 of the INEC Manual for Election Officials, 2023, for the conduct of the Presidential Election.

“A declaration that the entire results of the Presidential Election conducted on the 25th of February, 2023 announced by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission at the National Collation Centre, Abuja, in flagrant provision of Sections 25; 47(2); 60 (1), (2), (4) & (5); 62; 64(4)(a) & (b); 70; and 148 of the Electoral Act, 2022, governing the 2023 nationwide general elections, particularly paragraphs 38 of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022; and paragraphs 2.8.4; 2.9.0; and 2.9.1 of the INEC Manual for Election Officials, 2023, for the conduct of the Presidential Election, were invalid, null and void, and of no effect whatsoever”.

As well as an order, “directing a wholistic review of all results so far announced by the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which were carried out other than through the manner prescribed by the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022, the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022; and the INEC Manual for Election Officials”.

They had requested an expedited hearing of the case before the notice of discontinuation.

You may recall that the All Progressives Congress APC, candidate Bola Tinubu was proclaimed the victor of the presidential election by INEC.

In the election, Tinubu prevailed over the other 17 candidates.

Re-election has been ordered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in nine polling places in Ganaja Village, Ajaokuta Local Government Area, Kogi.

The decision became necessary because scheduled polls couldn’t take place in those units because of logistical issues, according to Alhaji Haliru Sule, Kogi INEC’s Chief of Voters Education and Publicity.

Sule reported that election supplies and officials had already been redeployed to the area early on Sunday morning in preparation for the poll to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja.

His words were, “We had some challenges holding the presidential and National Assembly elections in Ganaja Village in Ajaokuta Local Government on Saturday because of some logistic problems.

“We tried to see how it could hold the previous day but we couldn’t, so we have to shift it to Sunday.

“The State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr Hale Longpet, has given the go ahead for the election to hold this Sunday, Feb. 26.

“We don’t want a situation where some people will be disenfranchised in this very important election,” he said.

Sule urged the residents of Ganaja Village to turn out in large numbers so they could participate in the election and exercise their right to vote freely.