The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is facing more trouble as a US-based medical professional, Adah Edache Obekpa, and Renaissance Network Africa (RNA) have filed a lawsuit against INEC and the Federal Government of Nigeria over the alleged suppression of their contributions to the introduction of electronic voting (E-voting) in the country. The lawsuit was filed at the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court.
Obekpa and RNA claim to have proposed the E-voting system to INEC in 2010 and presented the “Renaissance I-voting Proposal for INEC” to then-INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega in October 2010. They allege that their contributions were suppressed and that INEC refused to adopt salient security features contained in the I-voting proposal submitted to the commission, which resulted in the failure of the Biometric Verification System (BVAS) and INEC’s online result viewing portal (IReV).
In a statement issued on Sunday by the innovator’s lawyers, Jonathan Akeme, Obekpa and RNA firmly believe in the rights of creators to benefit from and be recognized for their innovative contributions. They view INEC’s actions in circumventing their pioneering I-voting proposal as a violation of these fundamental rights. The legal action seeks to protect not only their clients’ interests but also to uphold the principles of transparency, justice, and fair recognition for inventors and innovators.
The lawsuit filed by Obekpa and RNA against INEC and the Federal Government of Nigeria is the latest challenge that INEC is facing in relation to the E-voting system. The lawsuit highlights the alleged suppression of their contributions to the introduction of the E-voting system and the failure of the BVAS and IReV. INEC will need to respond to the allegations made by Obekpa and RNA and defend itself in court.
