Model Bill Validation Dossier: Electoral Technology Oversight Bill

Election petitions in Nigeria are filed within 21 days of the declaration and decided under tight timelines. Many fail at the first hurdle: evidence that is inadmissible, wrongly tendered or never obtained. The PLAC review of the 2023 petitions found that most dismissals turned on the burden of proof not being discharged.

The Election Petition Playbook, Technology Evidence Edition, is an educational guide for licensed counsel on building a petition that survives the first objection when the case depends on BVAS, IReV and server evidence. It walks through each stage: framing the grounds, planning inspection under Section 149 of the Electoral Act 2026, laying the Section 84 Evidence Act foundation for electronic records, choosing and preparing expert witnesses, and tendering devices properly.

It draws the lessons of the leading decisions discussed in Weaponising Elections, including Oyetola v INEC on BVAS as the primary evidence of accreditation, Ajaka v Ododo on inspection orders, Kubor v Dickson on computer-generated evidence, and the Edo 2024 rulings on tendering devices through a competent witness.

Licensed counsel only. Sold under the LegiShield Educational Materials Licence. Each copy is watermarked to its buyer, and any restricted material must be adapted to the facts of each case before use.

This is educational material, not legal advice.

Tags: election petition, technology evidence, BVAS, Section 149, litigation