Plateau Tribunal To Concludes Prehearing On Lalong ,Wase On Friday , Ibrahim K .Bawa Petition Adopted

Yakubu Busari

The National, State Assembly Election Tribunal sitting in Jos presided by a three-man panel chaired by Justice Bello Muhammad has adopted most of the prehearing processes and adjourned the sitting to 2nd Friday for the continuation of the prehearing session.

The petitioner and the respondents have readily adopted their respective processes to conclude the pre-hearing to pave the way for the commencement of proper hearing into originating surmount.

The petitioners Barr.Ibrahim Kanje Bawa and People Democratic Party ,PDP, dragged the respondents before the Tribunal for substantial noncompliance with the 2022 Electoral Act in the conduct of the 2023 National Assembly Election for Wase Federal Constituency and the wrongful declaration and return of the first respondent as the winner of the said Election by the third respondent among other issues.

However,in continuation of the pre-hearing session, on Tuesday Counsel petitioners  informed the Three-Man Panel being

However, Counsel to the First and Second petitioners, Ibrahim Kanje Bawa and the PDP, Sharafu Yusuf informed the Tribunal that the petitioners had two motions that were duly filed and served on all the respondents but sought to withdraw one of the motions which was filed on the 14th day of May 2023 and leave as well as adopt the other one that was filed and served later which the Counsel, Yusuf said is accompanied by a four paragraph affidavit and a written address.

 In the motion that the petitioners/applicants sought leave of the Tribunal to adopt, are requests to the Court to strike out some paragraphs from the respondents’ replies, maintaining that the identified paragraphs did not border on election matters while the Court is meant to entertain only issues arising from the conduct of  2023 National Assembly elections no more no less.

Tribunal is neither for pre-election issues nor for issues revolving around intraparty squabbles.

Counsel to the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Ahmed Idris who is the First Respondent in the petition, Sunday Obende and that of the 3rd Responent, INEC did not object to the withdrawal of one of the petitioners’  applications and adoption of the other but counsel to the 2nd respondent, the APC vehemently objected by way of a counter affidavit and citing the practice direction of the honourable Tribunal.

However, the petitioners’ lead Counsel tackled the second respondent’s counsel by drawing the attention of the Court to the fact that the Court came up with the said practice direction after they had filed their motions. The Court noted and asked whether there were other applications.

Having exhausted all applications in respect of the Petition, the Chairman of the Panel, Justice Bello Muhammad adjourned the matter to Friday, the 2nd day of June, 2023 for reports of the prehearing.

Lead counsel to the petitioners, Sharafu Yusuf spoke to journalists after the session regarding what actually transpired before the Court but the lead counsel for the respondents, Mr. Obende declined to comment.

Proper and accelerated hearing of the Petition is expected to commence after the release of the preparing reports considering the fact that election matters are time-bound, sue-generis.

They are expected to be heard and determined within 180 days from the day of filing and so far more than 60 days have gone.

Meanwhile, the Tribunal also adjourned to the 2nd day of June 2023 the petition between the immediate past Plateau State Governor, Simon Bako Lalong of the APC, and the Plateau-South Senator-Elect, Air Vice Marshall Napoleon Binkap Bali (RTD) of the PDP for trashing all applications to pave way for preparing reports and commencement of the proper hearing of the Petition.

The former Governor, Lalong approached the Tribunal after being roundly defeated by the 2nd and 3rd respondents, Napoleon Bali and the PDP with more than 57,000 votes, following a wrong or mistaken belief widely held by the APC stalwarts and supporters in Plateau State that the PDP does not have a legitimate structure and that all PDP victories in the State would be returned to them eventually.

To say that such myopic thinking is a blatant self-deception is an understatement.