Akin Osuntokun claims the Bimordal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) was “perverted” during the presidential and National Assembly elections but that the Labour Party (LP) is compiling its results of the exercise.
The Director General of the LP Presidential Campaign Council made the comment on Wednesday, less than two weeks after Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) defeated the party's candidate Peter Obi and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flagbearer Atiku Abubakar in the presidential election.
While Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said glitches with BVAS stalled the uploading of election results to the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV), critics and the opposition have slammed the electoral umpire for the development, accusing it of incompetence.
One such person is Osuntokun who claimed BVAS was distorted and thus messed up the exercise.
“BVAS has been perverted. Something that is to serve a good course has now been perverted. Because once the BVAS does its role – takes a picture of the results – the polling agents will have it,” the LP DG said while fielding questions on Channels Television's Politics Today.
“So, the polling agents have all the results and we have our own that is presently being compiled.”
The LP DG, who claimed the party won some states by wilder margins, maintained that his principal Obi was victorious in the presidential election.
“It has been said before – about nine opinion polls – prior to the election said Obi was going to win,” he insisted.
Despite the glitches with the February 25th poll, he said the electoral umpire has a chance to redeem itself.
“INEC has another opportunity on Saturday [governorship and state house of assembly elections] to redeem itself,” the LP chieftain added.
He, however, said he will be “pleasantly surprised” if INEC conducts hitch-free polls on Saturday.
For Osuntokun, the concerns raised about the presidential and National Assembly elections should be a source of worry for President Muhammadu Buhari who promised to leave a credible exercise.
“He wants Nigerians to remember him for the best election ever conducted,” the DG continued. “But look at the absurdity of what has happened! Is this the legacy he wants to bequeath?”
