Counsel for Muritala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the recently concluded governorship election has been granted leave of court by the Kogi State Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Lokoja, compelling the first respondent in the petition, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to provide access to all materials and documents used in the conduct of the 11th gubernatorial election in the state.
The ruling came after S.E. Aruwa, SAN, filed a motion saying he needed access to 42 pieces of evidence from the election for his case to move further.
According to Aruwa, attempts to obtain these records from the INEC headquarters in Abuja and the INEC office in Lokoja had been fruitless, necessitating an order from the Tribunal before the matter could move forward.
According to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended and the Electoral Law 2023, the Presiding Tribunal Judge, Justice Yusuf Ado Birnin-Kudu, has ruled that the case has merit.
Within two days, he ordered that the first respondent, INEC, grant access to the certified copies that were utilized in the governorship election to counsels representing Muritala Ajaka of the SDP led by John Adele, SAN, and SE Aruwa, SAN.
John Adele SAN had asked the tribunal’s chairman to order INEC to provide him with access to BVAS and other electronic materials within 48 hours, and he was granted this request.
After the ruling, John Adele SAN, lead counsel for Muritala Ajaka and the SDP, expressed confidence that INEC will abide by the Tribunal’s decision.
