From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
A Civil Society Organisation under the auspices of the Electoral Integrity and Good Governance Initiative (EIGGI) has appealed to the Supreme Court judges handling the Kogi State Governorship election appeal to thoroughly review the case in order to rectify what they describe as “the mistakes of the lower courts.”
In a statement released to the press on Tuesday, Prince Kolawole Abiodun, spokesperson of the group, alleged that the discrepancies observed in the Kogi State Governorship case, compared to that of Bayelsa State, raise serious concerns.
According to him, “In the Kogi State SDP Versus APC case, despite compelling BVAS evidence displayed openly by order of the court, which exposed clear discrepancies between the number of accredited voters and the final results in all the contested polling units, the tribunal dismissed it on the grounds of not being proven beyond reasonable doubt.
“In the Bayelsa APC Vs PDP case, the tribunal and the Appeal Court affirmed the judgment in favour of the PDP based on missing BVAS evidence that the APC Gubernatorial candidate did not produce to prove over-voting.
“The Bayelsa judgment seems to set a precedent for the significance of BVAS in the electoral process, as it was introduced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure transparency and accountability in the voting process.
“We express confidence in the Supreme Court to stand by justice, maintain public confidence in its ability to deliver impartial and well-reasoned judgments.”