The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu has told the Labour Party’s legal team that they will be provided with all the documents the party has requested for its ongoing suit against the commission and the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
Yakubu made the promise when Labour Party’s legal head, Dr Livy Uzoukwu, led a strong 60-man legal team to a meeting with representatives of INEC in Abuja on Monday to discuss modalities for obtaining the documents.
The INEC boss claimed that the commission has nothing to hide, assuring also that the Resident Electoral Commissioners in the states would also make available necessary documents to the LP.
He said, “INEC has nothing to hide. Documents available at the HQ will be given immediately. We are meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners today and we will discuss how other documents at the state level could also be made available to you speedily.”
INEC had come under intense scrutiny after it failed to upload in real time the results of the presidential election from all polling units across the federation to its Results Viewing Portal on election day, as provided in the elction guidelines.
The LP, dissatisfied with the outcome of the presidential election had gone to court and secured an order to allow it inspect the materials.
The party later alleged that INEC had not obeyed that court order, threatening to occupy its offices across the country.
Granting the electoral body permission to reconfigure the BVAS used in the presidential election, the commission has however assured the Labour Party that the information on the BVAS would be backed up for their inspection and has now promised that all documents requested by the party will be made readily available to the party
CHECKPOINTCHARLEY 