Tribunal orders INEC to allow Buhari, APC inspect election materials

Godwin Tsa, Abuja

The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal has  granted President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress, access to inspect materials used for the conduct of the February 23 presidential election.

Buhari and his party had approached the tribunal with separate  ex parte applications seeking for the order of inspection.

The applicants had, through their lead counsel, Wole Olanipekun (SAN), told the tribunal that the purpose for the inspection of the election materials was to enable them to defend themselves in any petition which the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate,  Alhaji Atiku Abubakar are trying to file.

The request came after the tribunal had, on March 6, granted a similar application by the PDP and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

The motion, which was filed yesterday, was predicated on the provisions of Section 151 (1) and (2) of the Electoral Act, 2010, as amended.

Specifically, the application is asking the tribunal to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission to allow access to inspect and make copies of the documents and, to be certified as true copies by the electoral body.

Ruling on the twin motions after listening to the applicants counsel, the tribunal, in its ruling, made the order permitting them to carry out the inspection of the electoral materials and obtain the certified through copies of the documents from the electoral body.

The Justice Abdu Aboki-led tribunal had earlier granted the PDP and Atiku permission to inspect the election materials.