During cross-examination at the Presidential Election Petition Court, Retired Captain Joe Agada, the first witness of the People Democratic Party (PDP), leveled serious accusations concerning the manipulation of BVAS (Biometric Voter Authentication System) devices in the last Nigerian presidential election.
According to Agada, the former state collation officer in Kogi State, he was forced to sign the altered results against his will.
At the court proceedings, Agada, a certified pharmacist, was recognized by Abdullahi Aliyu SAN, the legal representative for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the cross-examiner, as a former witness for the petitioners, the PDP and their candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in 2019. Agada testified that he had visited various polling stations in different Local Government Areas.
During the inquiry conducted by INEC’s legal representative regarding the supposed tampering of ballot papers, Agada confirmed his knowledge of the act and accused the manipulation of BVAS devices. He also attested to being present during these occurrences.
Aliyu then asked, “You were present while the BVAS devices were also manipulated?” To which Agada replied, “Yes, in not less than B20 Polling Units I visited across 2 senatorial districts.”
According to Agada, he was present in the affected areas for about 3 to 5 minutes when the alleged manipulation occurred. Furthermore, he claimed that the INEC officials forced him to sign the election results at the state level.
Agada explained that he felt forced to sign the forms because he feared being denied a copy for his party if he refused. He stated, “I was forced to sign, which I protested because without signing, I was going to be denied a copy for my party.”
However, Agada admitted that he did not mention this particular incident in his witness deposition.
©Standard Gazette, 2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s publisher is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Standard Gazette with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.