Atiku certain BVAS will scuttle plans of riggers, if properly deployed
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) into the electoral system and its proper use will always scuttle the plans of dishonest politicians to rig votes, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar has reiterated.
He said BVAS has come to stay as a legal instrument for the accreditation of voters and the transmission of election results.
Atiku made the point in reaction to the ruling by the Supreme Court on Tuesday which affirmed Ademola Adeleke as Osun Governor.
A statement he issued through his media office congratulated the people of Osun and stressed the introduction of technology into elections in Nigeria is progress that cannot be reversed.
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Importance of BVAS
“We are all witnesses to the copious references to the BVAS technology in coming up with this judgement,” the statement said, per The PUNCH.
“The law governing our elections has truly brought power to the people, and those power-mongering politicians who believe that they can freely subvert the inherent power of democracy now have their hopes dashed.”
Atiku urged Nigerians to take a keen interest in the growth and development of democracy in the country, and “we must not put the laws in our hands but remain vigilant because, as the saying goes, ‘eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.’”
Supreme Court judgment highlighting BVAS
An unanimous ruling of the Supreme Court held that Adeleke won the election, as former Governor Gboyega Oyetola could not prove over-voting, having failed to rely on data on the BVAS machines used for the ballot, among other reasons.
The top court agreed with the Court of Appeal that Oyetola and the All Progressives Congress (APC) failed “to adduce relevant evidence to prove their case.”
It held that the Court of Appeal “correctly found that the appellants failed to prove their case” against Adeleke and his party, the PDP.
It also held that “it was imperative that the appellants (Oyetola and APC) produced the BVAS machines or certified true copies of the BVAS in evidence to show non-accreditation and over-voting.
“It is the record in the BVAS machines that can prove the number of accredited voters in a polling unit and nothing else.
“The appellant had a primary burden to prove the fact asserted by them in their petition. It is obvious that the appellants’ case collapsed.”