Tag Archives: Petition Tribunal

Reps want CJN empowered to pick election petition tribunal chairmen

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The house of representatives on Wednesday passed for second reading a bill seeking to make the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) responsible for appointing chairman and members of election tribunals of the national and states houses of assembly in the country.

 

The bill, sponsored by Karimi Sunday and James Faleke, sought to alter Section 1 (3) of the sixth schedule of the 1999 constitution as amended.

 

Faleke told the house that the amendment was necessary to ensure checks and balances.

 

“The bill seeks to ensure that we have check and balances,” he said.

 

“The president of the court of appeal is in charge of setting up the election tribunals and at the same time constitutes appeal panels; this will ensure checks and balances.”

 

The house adopted the bill for second reading after it was put to a voice vote by Yakubu Dogara, the speaker.

 

Dogara further referred the bill to the special ad hoc committee reviewing the 1999 constitution.

Rivers Election Petition Tribunal Grants Wike Leave

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The Rivers Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday granted substituted service of court processes on the Rivers Governor-elect, Nyesom Wike.

Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Muazu Pindiga, granted the application after listening to a motion ex-parte brought by the petitioner’s counsel, Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN).

Wike, the defendant, was the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the governorship election held on April 11, while Dakuku Peterside, the petitioner, was the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The motion ex-parte. also prayed the court to grant a leave to the petitioner to bring his application outside or before the hearing session.

Other prayers sought by the petitioner was an order for him to argue some issues outside or before the hearing session.

He also sought for an order for the petitioner to deliver to the third respondent, the PDP, the court processes through the state chapter of the party.

Akeredolu told the court that the bailiff of the Court of Appeal in Rivers has tried twice to affect the service of court processes on the governor-elect but was not successful. According to Akeredolu, the motion ex-parte is supported with a 19 paragraph-affidavit of non-service and a written address to support the argument.

He said that the motion was brought in accordance with the Electoral Act and the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rule.

Pindiga, who granted the prayers, ordered that the court processes should be pasted on the wall of the house of the governor-elect. “I have gone through the motion ex-parte and it is hereby granted; all the court processes are deem valid,” the chairman said.

At the inaugural sitting before the court session, Pindiga told the court that the tribunal only has 180 days to sit on the governorship election issue in Rivers.

According to the chairman, the tribunal will be fair and will be guided by the Electoral Act in the discharge of its duties.

Pindiga called for the cooperation of all litigants and journalists, adding that the “tribunal will sit by 9 a.m. in all the days of the week or on any day agreed upon by all the counsel.”

Credit: NAN

Rivers Election Petition Tribunal Relocates To Abuja

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The Rivers Election Petition Tribunal has relocated to Abuja for security reasons. This is contained in a statement made available to the media on Wednesday in Abuja.

The statement was issued and signed by Deborah Musa, Secretary of the tribunal. The statement said that the relocation was approved by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa.

The statement said Justice Ishaq Bello, the acting Chief Judge of the FCT High Court, approved the FCT High Court, Apo, as the secretariat and trial court for the tribunal.

Credit: NAN

Adamawa Election Petition Tribunal Relocates To Abuja

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The Adamawa Governorship/National Assembly and House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal has relocated to Abuja for security reasons, a statement issued by the Secretary of the Tribunal, Falilat Oluwatoyin, has said.

The statement issued on Monday said that the relocation was approved by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa. “The Hon. President of Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Adamu Bulkachuwa, considering the security of the tribunal, has constituted and relocated the Adamawa State Election Petition Tribunal to FCT High Court, Abuja.

“The Hon. Acting Chief Judge of FCT (Hon. Justice I.U Bello) of FCT High Court has approved the use of FCT High Court as the trial court for the tribunal while the secretariat is at the same venue,” the statement said.

Credit: newmail