The Supreme Court has ruled that the failure of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to transmit the election results on the INEC Result Viewing Portal did not affect the outcome of the presidential election.
Reading the lead judgment, Okoro said, “When IReV fails, it does not stop the collation of the results. It deprives people of viewing results. The nonfunction will affect the trust of the electorates in the election.
He said it is clear that the petition seeking to nullify the election for noncompliance must not only be ready to prove how the non-compliance affected the outcome of the election but must be ready to give evidence.
According to him, the petitioner abandoned the duties imposed on them to prove the gravity of noncompliance and its effect.
Justice Okoro said the Electoral Act empowers the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to determine the best method to use during an election.
He added that the unavailability of results on the IReV, cannot be a ground to nullify the election.
Justice Okoro says the petitioner needed to lay credible evidence to prove the alleged noncompliance. According to him, he has not produced an original or certified true copy of the evidence they want the court to rely on.
He held that the non-availability of the presidential election results on the IReV Portal did not affect the outcome of the election
