BY
POPOOLA BABALOLA
Governor
Nyesom Wike of Rivers State on Friday asked the state Governorship Election
Petitions Tribunal to dismiss Dr. Dakuku Peterside’s petition for not complying
with the rules of the law.
Counsel
to the governor, Emmanuel Ukala (SAN), made the application at the sitting of
the tribunal in Abuja.
Peterside
was the candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the last governorship
election in the state.
Ukala
told the tribunal that the petitioner did not pay the N100 required fee before
commencement of the pre-hearing.
He
said: “We seek to rely on our further affidavit and motion before the tribunal,
failure of the petitioner to properly comply with the Electoral Act, the
petition is futile.
“We
urge this tribunal to adopt the submission of its earlier rulings on August 3
and dismiss this petition.”
Counsel
to the Independent National Electoral Commission, K.C.O. Njemeze (SAN), and
counsel to the Peoples Democratic Party, F. O. Orbih (SAN), agreed with Ukala’s
submission.
According
to the duo, the tribunal should dismiss Peterside’s petition and treat it as
abandoned petition “in the eye of the law”.
Counsel
to Peterside, Akin Olujimi, countered the applications, saying that there was
no provision in the law that stated that one should pay money before
pre-hearing.
According
to Olujimi, the application by the counsel and that of INEC and PDP lacks
merit.
He
said: “There is nowhere it is prescribed in the Electoral Act that we should
pay any fee before our matter can be heard.
“But
so, if there is, the N100 should be deducted from the initial N400,000 we paid
before the commencement of the tribunal sitting.”
Olujimi
urged the tribunal to dismiss Wike’s application and move ahead.
Meanwhile,
the tribunal Chairman, Justice Muazu Pindiga, adjourned sitting to August 17 to
rule on the application.
NAN.
Culled
from www.theeagleonline.com.ng
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