Plateau Governorship Tribunal Adjourns Sitting To 1st June

Yakubu Busari

The Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Jos, has adjourned the sitting to Thursday,1st of June, 2023 at the instance of the petitioner to enable the 2nd respondent, Peoples Democratic Party, and Barr.Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang response to the preliminary Objections raised by the petitioner.

The 3-man panel, Hon. Justice. R. Irele- ifineh, Hon. Just. Sunday Olorundahunsi

Hon. Just. A.Y.   Joh gave the adjournment to enable parties to file and exchange all documents so that the Tribunal would proceed with the continuation of the hearing into a substantive suit filed by Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda and All Progressives Congress, APC, challenging the outcome of Governorship of 2023 general elections.

The counsel to the petitioner, Barr. Kayode Olatunde moved his petition dated the 19th day of May 2023 and filed on the 29th day of May 2023 in pursuance to subsection 7(c) of the first schedule of the new electoral act.

He said, “We file the following issues for determination on the 19th day of May and filed the 23rd day of May 2023 whereby we humbly adopted it as points of our argument with two processes for prehearing and trial of this session.

The 1st respondent, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, also replied to the petitioner’s argument dated 23-05-2023 and adopted it including their P.O. for determination on two grounds.

However, counsel to PDP, Barr. Pius A.Akubo (SAN) says the prehearing session answers were contained in their response dated the 18th day of May 2023, and filed on the 23rd day of May 2023 were also adopted on behalf of their client.

Besides, Barr. Manasseh Micah’s counsel filed on the following issues for the counter-argument on behalf of Governor-Elect, Barr. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang on the 23rd day of May 2023 with 4 cross petitions dated the same date.

In other to make progress the tribunal adopted all documents as pleaded by counsels on behalf of their clients.

Koyade Olatunde urged the election Tribunal to follow guidelines for proceedings, stressing that any satisfied true copies of documents should be tender from the bar and any P .O. raised would be tender and objector should be put in a separate argument or which will address alongside substantive case in the address while other documents would be tender through witness.

All parties agreed that they don’t need an interpreter both the petitioner and the three respondents. Kayode told the election Tribunal that they have challenged the competency of the P.O of the 2nd respondent and we equally file an application as indicated in paragraph 14 which hasn’t been serving to the respondents.

But , Pius Akubo opposed and argued that the decision taken by the petitioner’s counsel was like jumping the gun without the proper guidelines whereby the tradition of election tribunal demand that we need to respond to all documents tender during the prehearing and trial session answers sheet.

The election Tribunal carefully listen to the petitioner’s argument and the respondents and adjourn to 1st of June,2023