Atiku, PDP File Motion Compelling INEC To Surrender Election Materials For Inspection

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

ABUJA—-The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,
and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, have filed a
motion to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to
surrender all the materials that were used for the February 23
presidential election, for inspection.

The motion ex-parte was lodged before the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal on Tuesday.

The Tribunal will conduct its proceedings at the Court of Appeal Headquarters in Abuja.

In
the motion ex-parte dated March 4, Atiku and the PDP, applied for leave
of the tribunal to allow them to inspect the Voters Register, the Smart
Card Reader Machines, Ballot Papers and other vital documents that were
used in the conduct of the presidential election.

They equally
prayed the tribunal to compel the electoral body to allow their agents
to scan and make photocopies of vital documents used in the conduct of
the election, for the purpose of establishing alleged irregularities.

The
Applicants, through their lawyer, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, told the
tribunal that the reliefs sought against INEC was for the purpose of
filing and maintaining an election petition they intend to lodge against
the outcome of the 2019 Presidential Election.

The motion
ex-parte motion was supported with a 12 paragraphed affidavit that was
deposed to by one Col. Austin Akobundu, rtd, the director of Contact and
Mobilization of the Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Council.

Meantime,
no date has yet been fixed for hearing of the motion which has INEC,
President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress, APC, as
1st to 3rd Respondents.

Atiku who came second behind President
Buhari of the APC, had earlier vowed to challenge the outcome of the
presidential election in court, alleging that it was fraught with
manifest irregularities.

He maintained that results collated by
agents at various polling units across the federation, was at variance
with what was eventually declared by INEC, in favour of President
Buhari.

Source:- Vanguardngr