The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has admitted to ‘seeming’ over voting in some polling units during the July 16 governorship election in Osun State.
Gboyega Oyetola, former governor of the state and the All Progressives Congress (APC) challenging the declaration of Governor Ademola Adeleke by INEC as winner of the election before the Justice Tertse Kume-led election petition tribunal sitting in the state.
At the resumed hearing, on Wednesday, a Deputy Director in charge of Information and Communication Technology, Abimbola Oladunjoye, under cross-examination from the petitioner’s counsel, Akin Okujinmi, SAN, said there was seeming overvoting in some polling units.
Olujinmi, who referred the witness to her statement under oath and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, report tendered in the exhibit by INEC, said: “In paragraph 21.35 of my witness statement at page 413: the total votes cast is 388 accredited votes 388, but exhibit RBVR1, BVAS report tendered by the commission at page 25, ward 4 unit 7 Ede-South, accreditation record is 313 against 388. Based on RBVR 1-129, and my witness statement there is a seeming over the voting of 75.
“Paragraph 21.36, the accreditation figure in my witness statement is 830, exhibit RBVR1 accreditation figure there is 793, based on the exhibit and my witness statement, there is seemingly over the voting of 37.
“Paragraph 26.7 of witness statement page 549, the accreditation figure in it is 402, exhibit RBVR, accreditation figure there is 263, there is seemingly over voting of 139. Paragraph 23.24 of witness statement page 476, the accreditation figure there is 448 in exhibit RBVR1, the accreditation figure is 224, there is seemingly over the voting of 224.”
However, while being re-examined by counsel to INEC, Paul Ananaba, SAN, over what she meant by seemingly, she said: “I used the word seemingly because any comparison that should take place should be between EC8A and the physical BVAS machine. According to the INEC guidelines voter accreditation figure and total number accredited voters is taken from the physical BVAS machine and written on form EC8A.”
The Justice Kume-led panel admitted and marked the 976 BVAS machines as exhibit.