A support group for the All Progressives Congress, Bola Campaign Organisation, has expressed its acceptance of the recent judgement by the Lagos State Division of the Court of Appeal.
The court’s verdict overturns the earlier ruling of the Federal High Court, which had directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to electronically transmit election results for Governorship and State Assembly elections from polling units to the INEC Results Viewing Portal.
INEC had declared the Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, winner of the governorship election held in the state on Saturday, March 18.
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Sanwo-Olu of the APC cleared 19 out of the 20 local government areas of the state in the election.
Sanwo-Olu, who polled 762,134 votes, defeated his closest rival, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party, who polled 312,329 votes, and was followed by Olajide Adeniran of the Peoples Democratic Party, who polled 62,449 votes.
In a statement on Monday, its National Patron, Abdulwahab Quardi; National Coordinator, Mohammed Makinta, and National Women Leader, Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, commended the Court of Appeal for its courageous and impartial decision.
They also agreed with the court’s stance that the earlier judgement by the Federal High Court of Lagos State amounted to an abuse of the court process.
According to the group, Federal High Court Judge Emeka Nwite had already ruled in January 2023, before the February 25, 2023 Presidential election, that INEC had the freedom to choose the method of transmitting election results from polling units to collation centres in accordance with the provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act.
“The leadership of Bola Campaign Organisation applauds the judgement of the Court of Appeal, Lagos State against the earlier judgement by the Federal High Court in Lagos, where INEC was compelled to immediately transmit results of both Governorship and State Assembly elections on the IReV Portal.
“By virtue of the judgement of the Abuja court on January 23, 2023, INEC was at liberty to prescribe the manner in which election results could or ought to be transmitted by virtue of sections 50 (2) and 60 (5) of the Electoral Act, 2022,” it said.
While commending the justices of the Court of Appeal for their forthrightness and dispassion in delivering the verdict, it added that the verdict has put the electoral processes in check and also safeguarded the integrity of the system.
“As a group, we commend the justices of the Court of Appeal who demonstrated courage, forthrightness, and dispassion in delivering this historic judgement to put our electoral process in check,” it added.
(Punch)
