Delta Guber: Tribunal Fixes 30th June for Ruling on PDP’s Preliminary Objection against APC, LP Petition

June 25, (Blank NEWS Online) – 

Delta State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal   has fixed Tuesday   June 30 for ruling  on  a preliminary objection filed by the  Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against    the petition brought by All Progressive Congress (APC) and Labour Party (LP)  challenging the results of the April 11 governorship election in the state.  supr..court

Three petitions are before the three-man tribunal headed by Justice Nasiru Gunmi, challenging the declaration of Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as winner of the April 11 governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
 
The petitions were filed by Chief Great Ogboru of Labour Party, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and Mr. Paul Isamade of Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN).
 
At the resumed hearing in Asaba, Justice Gunmi after hearing the submissions of  Dr. Alex Izion  (SAN) lead  counsel to Governor  Ifeanyi Okowa, on the issues  of  jurisdiction  and the need for pre-trial conference  fixed 30th June 2015, for ruling.
 
Izion  in his preliminary objection  asked the Tribunal to terminate the petition because it lacked  merits, having failed to applyfor pre-hearing notice as provided for under paragraph 18 (1) of the Electoral Act 2014 as amended.
 
He urged the court to look at the nature of the objection, “as it  is fundamental and touches on the spinal cord of the petition”, adding that respondents in the objections have complied with what supreme court has laid dawn in paragraph 12(5) of the Electoral Act.
 
He argued that the tribunal cannot collapse the hearing of the preliminary objections into the substantive matter as the pre- hearing  will enable the court to to determine whether the suit is competent.  He pointed out that the pre-hearing process is within the time management frame of the tribunal allowed by the Electoral Act, and therefore will not truncate the proceedings of the Tribunal.
 
Counsels to Emerhor and Ogboru, Mr. Thomson Okpoko (SAN) and  Dele Adesina (SAN) respectively in their arguments prayed the court not to allow the tribunal to go through the pre- hearing as that will waste the  time of  the court.    
 
Okpoko citing section 12(5) of the electoral petition Tribunal Act , told the court that election petition has time limits, adding that at the rate at which motions are been filed to terminate the petition, it could prevent the court  from hearing the case on its merits if allowed.
 
Adesina in his submission  told the court that section 285(6) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria  limits   the tribunal  to 180 days, arguing that time is of essence  to the hearing  and determination of the case, which if not considered will amount to fundamental injustice  to the petitioners.  

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News Reporter
Blank NEWS Online founding Editor-in-Chief and Publisher, Albert Eruorhe Ograka, is a Graduate of Mass Communication. He also holds a Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) in Journalism from the International Institute of Journalism (IIJ).

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