Delta Tribunal: OKOWA,PDP, INEC Oppose  Opponents’ Application To Bring More Documents, Witnesses

Proceedings at the delta state election tribunal sitting in Asaba has, again, suffered another setback as attempt by the All Progressive Congress, APC and its guber candidate, Otega Emerhor, to bring in more documents outside their initial plea could not survive the legal fireworks of counsels to the guber candidate of PDP, Gov Ifeanyi Okowa, the Peoples Democratic Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

The counsels to Okowa, PDP and INEC in their opposition to the application   Of APC, Orterga and Labour party candidate reiterated that the petitioner has no locus standi to bring in documents that are not included in d petition from the onset when the petition was filed.

Continuing, the counsels argued that the petitioner wants to tactically maneuver the tribunal by bringing in two subpoenas not listed in the main petition, while urging d court to reject the application of the petitioner.

According to the counsels who raised preliminary objections through a motion on-notice challenging the locus standi of APC and Otega to bring in two documents which were not earlier included in the petition.

Governor Okowa’s counsel Alex Iziyon informed the court that “when a petitioner failed to attach all papers needed for hearing in d petition, it is not constitutional to include such midway into the trial and so he urged the tribunal to set aside the petitioner’s plea”.

On his part, the PDP counsel T.A Kehinde SAN noted that ” the petitioner is looking for ways to delay the court from moving forward and dis tribunal must reject such as it is clearly stated in the law that all parties are bind by the rules governing the election tribunal proceedings. It is misleading and must be set aside by this tribunal.”

The counsel to INEC Dodo D.D SAN stated that “the petitioner’s application will lead to waste of time, because the petitioner has included all the documents he claimed not have included in d main petition  and so according to law no additional documents should be received from him.”

Defending his application, the petitioner said d court should grant his request by allowing him bring in more documents.

Having listened to the arguments of all d counsels, the Chairman of the tribunal Justice Gumi adjourned ruling on the matter on APC suit to Tuesday 25th, August 2015