Ogun tribunal grants NNPP permission to inspect BVAS, other materials 

The Ogun State Election Petitions Tribunal has granted the New Nigeria Peoples Party’s (NNPP) request to inspect all sensitive materials, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines, used during the state’s governorship election. The ex‑parte motion, filed on Monday, 20 March 2023, was decided last Friday. A copy of the decision, obtained by our correspondent on Monday, shows that the NNPP was the applicant, while the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Governor Dapo Abiodun, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) were respondents. The tribunal granted all the prayers of the NNPP’s state chapter in the motion filed at the Isabo court in Abeokuta.

INEC had declared Governor Dapo Abiodun of the APC the winner of the 18 March governorship election. Thirteen political parties, including the NNPP, participated in the contest. The ex‑parte motion was supported by an eight‑paragraph affidavit sworn by the party’s state chairman, Olaposi Oginni. The NNPP complained that INEC failed to print the party’s name and logo on the governorship ballots as required by the Electoral Act. Consequently, the party approached the tribunal seeking permission to photocopy, scan and record all sensitive materials used by INEC in the election, ahead of its petition. The NNPP indicated it would pray for the nullification of the 2023 election on the grounds of the omission of its name and logo from the ballots.

Justice Argum Ashom, chairman of the tribunal, granted the NNPP’s prayers. He noted that the application, its reliefs, grounds and supporting affidavit all demonstrate the applicant’s intention to challenge the election conducted by the first respondents on 18 March 2023. He ordered that the respondents promptly grant the applicants, their solicitors, agents, experts and staff access to inspect, photocopy, scan and obtain certified true copies of all documents used by the first respondent for the conduct of the Ogun State governorship election. The order also directed the first respondent to comply promptly with the tribunal’s directives and allowed the tribunal to issue any further orders it deemed appropriate.