A group in Ebonyi State, Umuekumenyi Youth Forum has described as unwarranted, the president, Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Mensem’s relocation of the State Election Petitions Tribunal from Abakaliki to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) ,Abuja.
At a press conference, the state House of Assembly majority leader and the patron of the forum, Hon. Victor Chukwu, said they had been in the villages and communities persuading the people to remain calm and allow the relevant authorities handle the situation.
Chukwu accused the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii of masterminding the relocation following a s petition written by the party, adding that the state did not witness any post-election violence and had remained peaceful after the poll and questioned the rationale behind the relocation.
Earlier, the national president of the forum, Prince Uche Ali Ega, said the group frowned at the decision, stressing that the group was worried that there was bias or prejudice, in granting one party the preference of choosing a venue outside the Ebony State capital, Abakaliki.
He said that the panel of judges in the election petition tribunal was never under any threat, attack or any other danger.
The national president maintained that the cost of transportation to Abuja is high, while the route to Abuja from Ebonyi is dangerous due to insecurity and other logistical challenges.
“Witnesses to the matter may suffer abduction en route Abuja; thereby impeding the evidences required of them.
The present development surrounding the news of the relocation of the tribunal to the FCT is already building tension and is capable of throwing the state into an avoidable and unnecessary crisis.
“Suffice it to say that these whole shenanigans are suspicious and unacceptable to the people of Umwuekumenyi and the good people of Ebony State. The Unwuekumenyi people frown at this insult and views the move as an affront to our psyche.
“We wish to state that Ebony State is very peaceful, safe and secure for these legal processes to go on,” he insisted.
The group called on the National Judicial Council (NJC), the chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), the president of the Court of Appeal and the attorney-general of the federation (AGF) to consider their appeal and return the tribunal to Abakaliki, as obtained in other peaceful states of the federation.
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