Wike, PDP Oppose Permission For Peterside, APC To Inspect Election Materials

Dakuku Adol Peterside (APC Guber Candidate) (L) and Governor Nyesom Wike (R)

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike and his party, his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have opposed the permission granted the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate in the last governorship election, Dakuku Peterside, to inspect the materials used for the election.

APC and Peterside filed a petition at the state’s Governorship Election Tribunal, challenging the declaration of Wike as winner.

The Nation report continues:

They said the election was marred by irregularity. The party and its candidate applied for permission to inspect materials used in the election, as required under the Electoral Act.

The court granted the request on June 11.

Dissatisfied with the permission, Wike and the PDP urged the tribunal to set aside the ex parte order for the inspection of the electoral materials, particularly the voters’ register and card reader machines.

They argued, in a motion on June 16, that allowing APC and Peterside to examine card reader machines and voters’ register would allow them to make copies and store their contents electronically.

They argued that this could compromise the secrecy of the ballot.

Wike and PDP added that the permission could pose security concerns because the materials have “highly sensitive security information containing the biometric data of all registered voters in Nigeria”.

In a supporting affidavit, Rivers PDP Legal Adviser Benjamin Eke averred that the tribunal’s order on June 11 “is couched in broad general terms, which may extend to” the following:

“Enabling the petitioners to pass the original ballot papers, voters’ register and other polling documents through their electronic devices for the purpose of capturing the data on them by computer scanning, copying and computer imaging for storage in retrieval systems which will then be taken away by the petitioners; and

“Enabling the petitioners to maintain a private electronic data base of sensitive electoral records, including fingerprints of registered voters and thereby compromise public security as well as the confidentiality of the voters.”

“The information on the voters register and the 1st respondent respondent’s (INEC’s) data base, including the card reader machines, are highly sensitive security information containing the biometric data of all registered voters in Nigeria.”

They added: “That these polling documents, taken together with the voters’ accreditation register and ballot papers used at the election, will compromise the secrecy of the ballot and expose the identity of individual voters and the candidates they voted for at the governors.”

Wike and PDP argued that the permission granted APC and Peterside on June 11 was unknown to “the Electoral Act and First Schedule thereto”.

The defendant said he was not put on notice or given an opportunity to be heard before the order of inspection was made.