We Were Instructed Not To Give Election Result Copies To Agents – INEC staff tells court

A staff member of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abedemi Joseph, testified before the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) that they were instructed by the Commission not to provide copies of election results to political party agents who refused to sign the result sheets.

Abedemi revealed this information while giving evidence in a petition filed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who contested the election of President Bola Tinubu.

Abedemi, who served as a presiding officer in Niger State during the presidential election, stated that she followed the given instructions and was satisfied with the process.

Another witness, a presiding agent from Edo State, informed the court that she attempted unsuccessfully to upload the presidential election results to the INEC server. Similarly, Grace Ajagbonna, a subpoenaed witness from Kogi State, confirmed the peaceful conduct of the election but expressed disappointment that she could not transmit the presidential election results to the INEC Result Viewing (IRev) Portal as instructed.

When asked about her satisfaction with the election and her work as a presiding officer, Ajagbonna stated that she was unhappy about her inability to transmit the result to the server.

However, representatives of INEC, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and other respondents objected to the use of the subpoenaed witnesses’ statements made under oath as evidence in support of Atiku’s petition. Atiku’s lawyer, Chris Uche, argued for the court to disregard their objections and grant their request.

The panel of five judges, led by Justice Haruna Tsammani, reserved ruling on the applications.