Relocation-Rivers Election Tribunal

The Rivers state election petition tribunal will relocate to Abuja, the state capital, by President of the Court of Appeal Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa.

The relocation is due to security reasons.

Deborah Musa, the secretary of the tribunal, in a statement yesterday, April 15, in Abuja, said Justice Ishaq Bello, the acting Chief Judge of the FCT High Court, accepted the FCT High Court, Apo, as the secretariat and trial court for the tribunal.

The National and State Election Tribunal has begun sitting in Makurdi in the case challenging the poll of Senate President David Mark, who was announced winner of the Benue South Senatorial District for a fifth term, the Tribunal has decided the leave for his opponent Comrade Daniel Onjeh to examine and get the materials used during the March 28 elections.

Onjeh required the leave of the Tribunal through his counsel, Robertson Abel, for an order of the Tribunal allowing his advice to inspect materials. Mark ran on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Onjeh contested as an All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirant.

Tribunal Chairman Justice M .A. Dipeolu   gave the order after listening to the dispute of the APC aspirant.

Justice   Dipeolu, who decided the leave to move the motion also ordered among other things, that the main electoral body should make all the electoral forms and other materials used for the Benue South Senatorial District accessible.

There has been violence in Rivers State before, during and after the polls. Many people have been killed.

The APC has supposed that there were no presidential and National Assembly elections and that the governorship and House of Assembly pollswere marred by wrongdoings orchestrated by the PDP whose governorship aspirant Nyesom Wike was announced the winner. Wike’s poll and those of federal and state lawmakers are to be challenged by the APC.