The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, has reacted to the claim by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that the law does not make it compulsory for it to transmit the 2023 presidential election results electronically.
OsunDaily News earlier reported that INEC made the submission in response to a petition by the Action Peoples Party (APP) before the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal in Abuja challenging the outcome of the 2023 presidential election.
The APP had challenged the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Tinubu in the February 25 election as declared by INEC on the basis that the electoral umpire failed to transmit results electronically and this contradicts the provision of the law.
In its petition, the APP alleged that INEC breached its own laws and guidelines, and the Electoral Act 2022.
But INEC, through one of its lawyers, Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN), insisted that the 2023 presidential polls were free and fair, adding that the Electoral Act does not mandate the electronic transmission of results.
Mahmoud also dismissed allegations that its officials doctored results to favour a particular political party’s candidate or that there was over-voting in the presidential election.
Reacting to the development via his Twitter account, Keyamo said the country is gradually moving from the noise on social media to the real business of the Court of Appeal.
He wrote: “Gradually, we are moving from the noise on social media to the real business of the Court of Appeal:👇👇
“INEC Replies APP, Says Electronic Collation Of Results Not Mandatory.”
