Gov Election Tribunal In Gombe Grants APC’s Request To Inspect Electoral Materials

By Kalshingi H Jedidah Gombe

Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Gombe, headed by Justice Michael O Adewara has yesterday granted request filed by the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state through its counsel Barr Niyi Idowu requesting to inspect governorship election materials.

Earlier, the governorship candidate for the APC Alh. Inuwa Yahaya had submitted petition before the Tribunal challenging the outcome of the governorship election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the 2015 general elections.

During the Tribunal sitting, counsel to the petitioner submitted five applications before the Tribunal seeking leave of the Tribunal to take the motion out side pre-hearing session, also, asking for inspection of photocopies and certified copies of electoral material, it also sought for forensic examination of electoral materials, and recount of the votes casted at the governorship poll.

But the Tribunal having heard the motion on notice which were filled later seeking to set aside those orders on the value of motion ex parte granted three applications and set aside two of the applications.

However, counsel to the petitioner told reporters in an interview after the Tribunal sitting that, the Tribunal had been fair to both parties, saying there was no winner or loser, even as he emphasised that, the petition will continue to press on the request it submitted that have been set aside by the Tribunal, he said ” for the application we submitted to conduct forensic inspection of electoral materials and ballot paper recount, we will still bring them back in the course of the proceedings.”

Counsel to the respondent Barr Anayo Adibe also told journalists that, the Tribunal had done justice to the issues, according to him, one of the foundations of good democracy was to allow for fair hearing which he said the Tribunal had granted, he said ” one of the foundation of our democracy is the principle of fair hearing, you can not determine the fate of a man without hearing from him, and that was exactly what the Tribunal did.

According to him, as the Tribunal is setting to begin its inaugural sitting in the next two weeks, ” we the counsels are ready to ensure we uphold justice and move according to the provision of our profession.” He added.