Tina Amanda
The Gubernatorial election petition tribunal sitting in Port Harcourt has dismissed the petition filed by the African Action Congress Party and its Governorship Candidate BIOKPOMABO AWARA challenging the victory of Governor NYESOM WIKE of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2019 gubernatorial election.
Justice K.A OJIAKO dismissed the petition on the ground that the first and second petitioners abandoned their petitions.
The tribunal in its first ruling granted the application filed by HENRY BELLO, counsel to AAC, seeking the court to strike out all motions and applications filed on behalf of the party by MUSTAPHA IBRAHIM counsel to the Governorship Candidate.
Justice K.A OJIAKO struck out all the applications filed by the first petitioner from 22nd May – June 2nd, with reasons that the application is an abuse of court processes and an affront before the Tribunal.
The tribunal also dismissed another application on pre-trial hearing for incompetence filed by counsel to AAC Governorship Candidate, MUSTAPHA IBRAHIM seeking to sustained their petitions.
The tribunal maintained that the first and second petitioners had abandoned their petitions for not filing motion for pre-trial hearing out of time and therefore dismissed the petition.
Speaking to our reporter Tina Stephen, Counsel to AAC, HENRY BELLO, said counsel to the first petitioner continued to file processes on behalf of the second petitioner, despite the tribunal ruling on legal representation.
MUSTAPHA IBRAHIM, counsel to AAC Governorship Candidate, BIOKPOMABO AWARA, said the application they filed for the tribunal to sustain their petition was not in their favour.
