A’Ibom Election Tribunals Relocate to Abuja For Security Reasons

About three weeks after the Governorship, National and state Houses of Assembly Petitions
Tribunal in Akwa Ibom State were inaugurated, the two tribunals have now relocated to
Abuja.
THISDAY gathered that the decision to relocate the two tribunals followed an alleged
conduct by some parties involved in the petitions.
It was further equally learnt that the
decision might not be unconnected with
the security of the officials of the
tribunals.
Though no official statement had been
released by the secretariat of both
tribunals, but a source in the secretariat,
who pleads anonymity, confirmed the
relocation of the tribunals to THISDAY.
One of the counsel to All Progressives
Congress (APC) candidates at the
tribunal, Mr. Fidel Albert, confirmed the
relocation of the tribunals, saying it was
announced during the Monday sitting of
the tribunal in the state.
“The court announced that they are
relocating but the venue is not officially
mentioned. When enquiry was made as
to why the relocation, the chairman said
that the order was from the President of
Court of Appeal,” the APC lawyer said.
Albert who is standing for 23 APC
candidates in the National and State
Houses of Assembly Tribunal, expressed
concern that that some of his clients
would be affected financially by the
relocation.
According to him, the cost of
transporting witnesses and materials
would be high and burdensome for those
clients with little finances.
Reasoning that somebody must have
petitioned the President of Court of
Appeal on the sitting, Albert said the
relocation was for the cause of justice.
The governorship tribunal has Hon.
Justice Goddy I. Anunihu from Imo State
as chairman while Hon. Justice Rapheal
Ajuma from Bayelsa State and Hon.
Justice J. B. Olowosegun from Kogi State
save as member 1 and 11 respectively.
At its inaugural sitting on May 19, the
chairman of the tribunal had said since
members of the tribunal are judges of
superior courts of the country, with
previous experiences in election
tribunals and attended series of
workshops and trainings organised by
international agencies, they were
prepared for the legal fire work in the
tribunal.
“We want to assure you that we are here
to work to ensure that the petitions filed
before this tribunal are heard and
determined judicially and judiciously.
The watchword is always justice
according to the law.
“As it is, there are two petitions pending
before this tribunal. At the appropriate
time we shall work together to determine
how best to do justice to the two cases”,
he stressed.
Anunihu cautioned that the tribunal
shall not tolerate any politicians that will
want to carry the nuances associated
with politics to the tribunal.
“We shall appeal to counsel whose duty
it is to direct and counsel their clients to
assist us in resisting and overcoming any
attempts to throw spanners in the works
of the tribunal”, he stated demanding
the highest degree of professionalism
from lawyers in carrying out their
functions in the tribunal.
“We urged the lawyers to work hard on
their cases and be ready at all times to
play their roles as officers of this court
effectively. We are not prepared to
tolerate frivolous applications that may
delay or derail the job assigned to us,” he
added.