Plateau Tribunal: Panel decries poor working environment as hearing in Petitions commence Tuesday

May 21, 2022

The National and State Houses of Assembly Election Petition Trial Tribunal sitting in High Court Bukuru, Jos South had on Friday concluded its Pre-Hearing and adjourned till Monday 23 May, 2022 for the delivery of Pre-Trial report.

African Drum reports that during the sitting of the tribunal, Counsel for the respective parties involved in the two Petitions moved and adopted their pending Applications. The tribunal in its ruling on the applications, ordered counsel to incorporate their arguments in their various Final Written Addresses.

After adjournment, the Chairman of the three-man Panel, Hon. Justice Hope Uzoh raised concern over the venue of the tribunal being not conducive for the panel. The panel, had during its inaugural sitting on May 11, lamented lack of power at the venue making it turfy and uncomfortable for effective performance.

African Drum also observed that the venue was not spacious with little space for parking vehicles.

During her goodwill message during the inaugural sitting, the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary in the ministry of Justice, Mrs. Rebecca Sashe'et, who represented the Plateau State Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Hon. Chrysantus Ahmadu confirmed taking note of the panel's complain and promised that the issues raised would be addressed before the next adjourned date. However, the sitting of the tribunal on Friday was the second after the inaugural sitting with the issues still not addressed.

African Drum reports that the setting up of Tribunal by the Court of Appeal was neccesited by the conduct of Bye-Election for Jos North Bassa Federal Constituency and Pankshin South, State Constituency conducted by INEC on February 26, 2022 following the deaths of Hon. Haruna Maitala and Hon. Henry Longs who represented the two Constituencies respectively.
At the end of the Bye-Election, INEC declared Hon. Musa Agah of the PDP as winner Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency and Hon. Ezra Dakup of the APC as winner Pankshin South State Constituency.

Dissatisfied with INEC declarations, Hon. Adamu Muhammad Alkali of the PRP and Hon. Peter Dasat of the PDP filed their various petitions at the tribunal challenging the declaration of Agah and Dakup.