The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has criticized the testimony of a witness from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT). The witness, named Hitler Nwala, claimed that INEC intentionally deleted results of the 2023 presidential election from the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines. However, INEC has dismissed these allegations, describing the witness as ignorant.
During cross-examination by INEC’s lawyer, Abubakar Mahmoud, Nwala stated that he had analyzed the BVAS and concluded that the results had been deleted. However, he refused to demonstrate how the results could be deleted when given a BVAS machine in the tribunal, citing professional ethics as the reason.
Sources within the commission have refuted Nwala’s claims, stating that the BVAS is not an electronic voting machine and does not have the capability to store election results. A deputy director at INEC referred to Nwala’s assertions as untrue and laughable, emphasizing that the BVAS was designed solely for voter accreditation at polling units and not for counting or recording votes.
Furthermore, another senior staff of the commission highlighted that INEC does not organize governorship elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). This statement served to underscore the witness’s lack of understanding regarding the country’s electoral system.
Overall, INEC has vehemently denied the allegations made by the PDP witness, asserting that they are baseless and rooted in a lack of knowledge about the BVAS and the electoral process.
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