The vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 23 election, Peter Obi, on Monday, June 24, reacted to the tribunal’s rejection of its application to inspect Independent Electoral Commission (INEC)’s server.
Obi said that action could be likened to a referee’s rejection of the Video Assisted Referee (VAR) technology in a football match, New Telegraph reports.
The vice presidential candidate also described the electoral commission’s behavior as “outrageous and worrisome”.
Obi said he is shocked that a body that ought to be accessible for examination as an independent body is arguing against submitting itself to observation. He said by that action, it would be very difficult for INEC to make anyone believe that is out to conduct free and fair election.
“I have always respected the ruling of courts, even where it’s not favourable, but find I find it shocking and worrisome in this day and age that INEC, who is supposed to be an independent umpire of an election, will argue against subjecting itself to scrutiny when ordinary referees in a football match subject themselves to VAR and even go further to visit it to enable them make more informed decisions.
“With this development, it would be difficult for INEC to convince any discerning mind that it set out to conduct a free and fair poll when it takes strange positions that clearly show otherwise to critical members of the public,” he said.
It was earlier reported that several INEC officials during the 2019 presidential election reportedly claimed that they transmitted results electronically to a ‘central server’ through smart card readers.
The electronic transmission of the results were said to have been done in compliance with the directive given by the commission during a three-day training before the polls. The officials who were said to have worked as presiding officers claimed they were told that there was a central server in Abuja.