Victor EzejaThe All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to protect and preserve the integrity of data extracted from the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) as the Commission has committed to do before the Abuja Court of Appeal.
READ ALSO: Court Grants INEC Request To Reconfigure BVAS
INEC which obtained the appellate court’s permission to reconfigure the BVAS to be used in the upcoming elections promised to extract the data about the 25th February presidential and National Assembly elections and back them up in the Commission’s cloud facilities for access by political parties preparing petitions for litigation or defence in the tribunal.
Recall that the Abuja Court of Appeal standing as the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, on Wednesday, 8th March 2023, granted INEC the permission to reconfigure the BVAS with an order that it should allow political parties access to conduct digital forensics as they may wish to do.
READ ALSO: Confirmed: INEC Postpones Guber, State Assembly Polls By 1 Week
The electoral body subsequently announced the postponement of the Governorship and State Assembly elections to 18th March, saying that it needed more time to reconfigure the BVAS and make other critical preparations.
APC, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Barr Felix Morka on Thursday, 9th March, said it respects the decision of INEC to postpone the elections over the shortcomings.
The party urged the electoral body to use the opportunity of the time offered by the postponement to address all challenges encountered in the last election to avoid a reoccurrence in the March 18 polls.
The statement reads: “The All Progressives Congress (APC) respects the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to postpone the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections from 11th March 2023 to Saturday 18th March 2023, following the ruling by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal on the reconfiguration of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) used for the presidential election.
“While noting its reassurance that data from the Presidential and National Assembly elections will be properly backed up on its cloud facilities, we urge INEC to do everything within its power to preserve and protect the integrity of the extracted data from BVAS as it has committed to do before court.
“Further, we enjoin INEC to use the opportunity presented by the election postponement to address any gaps or hitches identified in the presidential election in order to avoid a reoccurrence in the March 18, election.”
Opposition political parties and their candidates that rejected the outcome of the presidential election in which Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC was declared the winner, had resolved to go to court and subsequently requested for access to inspect materials used for the election including the BVAS. The request was granted last week.
APC in its statement claiming that its candidate, Tinubu, “emerged as the overwhelming choice of Nigerians in the presidential election which was free, and fair,” urged other presidential candidates seeking redress in court to “eschew conduct and action capable of undermining the peace of our country or imperil the capacity of INEC to conduct the upcoming Gubernatorial and State Assembly elections.”
It urged Nigerians to support the party in the upcoming elections.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
Follow Us