The All Progressives Congress, APC, 2023 senatorial candidate for Benue South, Daniel Onjeh, has petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, over what he termed concealment of sensitive electoral materials used for the conduct of the February 25 election by some staff of the electoral body.
In a three-page petition to the INEC Chairman dated 22nd May 2023, Onjeh stated that the Hon. Justice Ory Zik-Ikeorha-led National/State Legislative House Election Tribunal holding in Makurdi, Benue State, had in its ruling on his ex parte motion challenging the outcome of the election, granted an order permitting him, his lawyers and agents to conduct physical inspection and take photocopies of all the sensitive electoral materials used by INEC for the conduct of the election.
Onjeh, however, alleged that when his team got to the INEC local government offices at Oju, Obi, Otukpo, Agatu, Apa, Okpokwu, Ado and Ohimini local government areas of Benue South, the ballot papers were not provided to them for inspection because they were not available.
He added that they were shocked to observe that the ballot papers for the conduct of the election across the local governments were either unavailable or all muddled up.
He stressed that because there were no Polling Unit Code Numbers on the ballot papers, his team could not establish which ballot paper was used in any particular polling unit.
“All I and my co-applicants in the case are asking is for INEC to bring the ballot papers used for my election to the glare of the public so that the whole world may see and verify what actually transpired during the February 25th, 2023 senatorial election in Benue South.
“The court had earlier established that it could order for the ballot papers to be brought to the open court to be recounted if the need arises, during the trial of the case,” stated Onjeh.
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