The Ebonyi State election petition tribunal has officially kicked off proceedings in Abuja, with the petition of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Ifeanyi Odii.
Odii is challenging the election of the governor-elect, Francis Nwifuru.
The tribunal began it’s sitting in Abakaliki, Capital of Ebonyi State, but relocated to Abuja because of security concerns.
Three petitions are pending before the tribunal. In one of the petitions, the PDP is challenging the victory of the APC at the polls.
At the beginning of the tribunal’s sitting, the chairman of the three-man tribunal, Justice A. I. Ogunmoye, asked for the cooperation of all parties in order to facilitate speedy delivery of justice.
Each counsel to the parties took turns to pledge support to the justices and their willingness to aid the quick dispensation of justice.
During the pre-hearing proceedings, the counsel for the PDP presented and adopted their pre-hearing briefs and also prayed the tribunal to allow them streamline their witnesses.
This request was objected by INEC, APC and it’s governor elect, Francis Nwifuru who after adopting their prehearing applications insisted that the numbers of witnesses and the time required should be decided among them before presenting it to the court.
The PDP and Odii are asking the Tribunal to declare that Nwifuru who contested and won on the platform of the APC as not qualified as he remain a member of the PDP and the party never sponsored him for any election in the just concluded 2023 general election
The petitioners also cited a subsisting judgment by Justice Henry Njoku of the Ebonyi State High Court, which ruled that Nwifuru and other lawmakers of Ebonyi State House of Assembly who purportedly defected to the APC are still members of the PDP.
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