Osun Tribunal Grants PDP Request To Inspect Election Materials

By Aishat Oyebamiji

Osun Governorship election petition Tribunal has granted the prayers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to inspect electoral materials used for the just concluded election in the state.

The tribunal commenced its sitting on Thursday and ruled on a motion filed by PDP’s candidate at the poll, Ademola Adeleke against the declaration of APC’s Gboyega Oyetola by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The order was granted by the Tribunal even when there was no any record of a petition filed before the panel either by the PDP or his candidate.

The PDP had on October 2, 2018 filed an application on notice before the tribunal seeking its order to allow the PDP inspects and obtain the certified true copies of all electoral documents and materials used for the September 22 and 27 governorship election in the state.

It also sought to physically inspect and verified all electoral materials, including machines, Forms EC8A, EC8AVP, EC8B, EC8C, EC8D, EC60E, published and used in all the polling units and voting points across the state.

The party also wanted to inspect collation officer’s reports for the poll, superintendent presiding officers and presiding officers’ report for the gubernatorial election, card reader verification records and card reader machines with serial numbers used for the poll.

It also sought the record of voters’ register used for the main election and the supplementary votes, the following Thursday.

According to the PDP, it seek the order of the court to inspect and verify codes of polling units, wards, local government, stubs of ballot papers used, used and unused ballot papers, as well as all polling documents and materials used for the election and the supplementary poll.

The PDP also urged the court to mandate INEC to produce and print from its data base and release to the applicants report of accredited voters and data updated on the election.

It also sought the court order restraining the third respondent (INEC) from altering or mutilating any of the materials used for the conduct of the election in whatsoever manner.

The three-man panel led by its chairman, Justice T. Igochi granted all the prayers of the applicant and the applicant counsel, Nathaniel Oke SAN commended the tribunal and urge it to make available a certified true copy of the judgment to the applicant so that INEC could honour their request.