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Server controversy resurfaces as INEC’s Presiding Officer tells Tribunal ‘we transmitted election results to server’

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ANALYSIS... The fire consuming INEC may be burning out hope of credible elections

The controversial debate surrounding whether or not the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) transmitted results from the 2019 general elections to a server, has resurface again.

One of the Presiding Officers engaged by NEC during the elections, Mr Adejuyitan Olalekan, on Monday told the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja that election results were transmitted to a server.

Olalekan is the third witness in the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the February 23 presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar challenging the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Read also: PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION PETITION TRIBUNAL: Buhari wants his bio-data form set aside, as Oshiomhole makes first appearance

They have continued to insist that there was a server containing the authentic results of the poll, and that it was manipulated to favour APC and Buhari. But the electoral umpire, INEC has denied such claims.

Under cross-examination by Buhari’s lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), Olalekan, who said he was a lecturer at African Community of Inquiry College of Education in Enugu State, maintained that he personally transmitted the collated results at his polling unit.

“I did it myself as the Presiding Officer. I transmitted through the code provided by INEC,” he said.

But when questioned by INEC’s lawyer, Yunus Usman (SAN), Olalekan said he did not have the name or the number of the server.

Fielding questions from APC’s lawyer, Akin Olujinmi (SAN), the witness said, “Without the code, you cannot make any transmission of results.”

He added he did not attach the code with which he claimed to have transmitted the collated results to his witness statement on oath, but that he had it on his phone

When asked if INEC directed Presiding Officers to allow voters who could not be authenticated by the card reader machine to vote manually with their picture captured, he said, “No, we were not directed to allow people to vote manually.

“The card reader worked for every voter who came to my polling unit.”

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