Amazon Web in PEPC refutes INEC’s claim, despite Tinubu’s objection to evidence
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Amazon Web Services Incorporated (AWS) has refuted claim by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that there were technical glitches during the presidential election which hindered live transmission of results from polling units to the IReV, the view portal of the INEC.
The INEC hired AWS to provide technical support during the general election in February and March.
AWS representative Mpeh Clarita Ogar testified on Monday at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) in Abuja as the seventh witness (PW-7) in the petition filed by Peter Obi and his Labour Party (LP) to overturn the election of President Bola Tinubu, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ogar, led in evidence by a member of the petitioners’ legal team, Patrick Ikweto, SAN, told the court AWS did not record any technical glitch in Nigeria on February 25, the day of the presidential election.
The INEC had blamed technical glitches for its failure to electronically transmit results live to its IReV using Bimodal Voter Accreditation (BVAS) machines.
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Court admits documents in evidence
Ogar, who identified herself as a cloud engineer and architect, tendered six volumes of reports from 33 regions of the world where AWS host its servers – North America, South America, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and Europe.
She reiterated there was no technical glitch across all six continents housing AWS cloud services on February 25, 2023, per reporting by Vanguard.
She adopted the witness statement she made on oath on June 19 and also tendered in evidence a copy of her curriculum vitae (CV) and her appointment letter.
All the respondents in the petition – the INEC, Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, and the APC – opposed Ogar’s evidence but the PEPC, chaired by Justice Haruna Tsammani, admitted all the documents as exhibits.
The court adjourned proceedings until today to enable the respondents cross-examine the witness.
Earlier yesterday, the petitioners accused the INEC of refusing to give provide them with some electoral documents needed to establish their allegation that the vote was rigged in favour of Tinubu.
Their counsel, Jubril Okutekpa, SAN, lamented that despite several letters written to the INEC it refused to provide the exhibits.
“This segment is to formally bring to the notice of the court, the excruciating experience we are having from INEC.
“We have done everything humanly possible, including persuasion and letter writing. We decided to seek the help of the court,” Okutekpa said.
He also told the court the petitioners only received a few copies of IReV reports from some councils in Lagos.
“We have consistently written letters to INEC, including the one I wrote personally on May 20 detailing all the documents we wanted.
“This proceedings is time bound. We have paid for the documents and INEC is supposed to give us the documents that we need.
“We are crying to your lordships as we have nowhere (else) to run to. It appears that INEC is deliberately frustrating the proceedings.”
But INEC counsel Abubakar Mahmoud, SAN denied the claim, adding the petitioners never raised such an issue with him before the commencement of proceedings
He said there was no reason to deny the petitioners any document they want, once they follow the procedure for obtaining it from the INEC.
“They didn’t want to follow the procedures. I am taken aback by submissions of Okutekpa. We can’t sit here and be hearing lamentation that is unfounded,” Mahmoud insisted.
