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Bassa/ Jos North Fed. Constituency: Tribunal reserves date for
judgment as Maitala urges panel to dismiss Dabo' s petition for lacking in
merit.
By Joseph A. Adudu
August 27, 2019
Hon. Haruna Maitala Jengre on
Tuesday told the justice T N Nzeugwu led panel for the National Assembly
Election Petition Tribunal sitting in High Court 8, Jos to dismiss the petition
of Hon. Jonathan Dabo for lacking in merit.
Dabo and his
party, the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) have petitioned the tribunal
challenging Maitala' s victory in the 9 March National Assembly re- run
election. Maitala who is the 2nd respondent, is also joined in the petition are the
Independent Electoral Commission ( INEC), as the 1st respondent and the All
Progressive Congress, APC, ( the platform under which Hon. Maitala won the election)
as the 3rd respondent.
Hearing in the
petition commenced about four months ago. Thereafter, both the petitioners and
respondents called series of witnesses and tendered series of documents that
have been admitted before the tribunal as exhibits. The petitioners and
the respondents having closed their case and defence respectively, the tribunal
adjourned until Tuesday 27, August 2019 for the adoption of Final Written
Addresses by all parties.
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| Hon Maitala (l) with Hon Damishi Sango |
When the case file
was called this morning, Haruna Maitala through his counsel, Mr. Nantok Dashuar
adopted his Final Written Address and asked the Tribunal to dismiss Dabo’s
petition for lack of merit. By way of adumbration, Dashuar argued that
since the elections of Feb. 23 was canceled by INEC following the disappearance
of the original result sheet and a re-run conducted in which the petitioners
participated, they have no ground to challenge the victory of Hon. Maitala.
“Since it’s
obvious before this tribunal that original result slip was not found, where
else do the petitioners expect your Lordship to find it and declare Dabo winner
of the elections? I urge your Lordship to disregard the arguments and reliefs
sought by the petitioners and dismiss the petition for lack of merit, “ Dashuar
pleaded.
Also speaking, Uoskay
Heavens, Counsel to 1st Respondent,( INEC, ) also urged the Tribunal to dismiss
the petition for want of truth and merit. Leo Ebi, Counsel to APC, the 3rd Respondent,
equally asked the Tribunal to dismiss the petition on the ground that the
petitioners have failed to prove their case.
“Even the result
which the petitioners claim should be considered and Mr. Dabo be declared
winner can’t be clearly read because it’s mutilated and not readable nor has
INEC stamp on it. After all, they took part in the re-run of March 9,
therefore, they have no right to look back on the result of Feb. 23 elections.
I hereby urge your Lordships to dismiss this petition for lack of merit, “” Ebi
pleaded.
But Mr. Sunday
Oyawole, lead counsel to the petitioners, dismissed all the claims of the
respondents and urged the tribunal to order the 3rd respondent to produce the
result and announce the petitioners as winners.
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| Counsels at the tribunal |
“Your Lordship
should order them to produce the results and announce our client and Party, PDP
as winner of that election,” Oyawole urged the tribunal.
After the adoptions, the tribunal reserved
date for judgment to be communicated to parties.
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