Appeal court to decide on ACN’s plea to use electronic device as evidence

The opposition party in Ondo State have alleged that the last election in Ondo State was wrought with irregularities.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, the Ondo State capital, will on Wednesday decide whether the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, can use electronic means to pursue its case before the Governorship Election Tribunal.

There were irregularities contained in 2012 voters’ register of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, used to conduct October Governorship Election in Ondo State, the ACN argued.

The Justice Andova Kaka’n Tribunal sitting in Akure after admitting expert evidence and documentary report of ACN in respect of injection of over 164,000 fresh name in 2012 voters register in the state disallowed the witness from using a TV projector.

This is to highlight, demonstrate and show the breakdown of the irregularities already contained in documents admitted in evidence by the Tribunal, the ACN said.

The Tribunal had, earlier on, admitted in evidence the soft/electronic copy of 2011 and 2012 voters register in the state upon which the expert witness conducted his comparative analysis and wrote his report which was admitted in evidence.

He sought to demonstrate before the Tribunal through a projector displayed on the wall of the Tribunal how he arrived at the expert report admitted by the Tribunal.

But, this was opposed to by counsel to Mr. Mimiko, Labour Party, LP, and Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

The Tribunal thereafter ruled in favour of the respondents which prompted the ACN to appeal.

The demonstration would have shown on the faces of those involved in multiple registration and those illegally injected into the voter register in the state.

The demonstration would have also displayed for all to see the invalid registrants whose thumb prints were not captured but voted during the election.