Tribunal Dismisses Atiku’s Claim On INEC Server, Says No Evidence That Results Were Transmitted Electronically

The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) has declared that there is no evidence that INEC transmitted the results of the last presidential election electronically to any server.

The court, in the judgment still being read on the petition by Atiku Abubakar and PDP, held that the petitioners failed to prove the existence of an INEC server or that the electoral commission transmitted results electronically.

The court held that there is no law in place in Nigeria that allows electronic transmission of results or the transmission of result using card reader.

“I have carefully examined and examined Exhibit 28 (INEC Manual for Election) tendered by the petitioners, I did not see where there is provision for electronic transmission of result of election,” PEPC Presiding Justice, Justice Mohammed Garba said.

Garba said the method of collation and transmission according to the electoral act is manual “at every level”. He said:

“It is undeniable that the transmission of election result is manual at different and all levels of the elections and at different stages from the states to the national level.”

“There is no provision authorising the first respondent (INEC) or any of its officers to transfer election results to any of the server. There is also nothing allowing the first respondents to use the smart card reader for the collation of results. I’m not ware that the central servers have replaced the voters register,” he added.