Speaking to journalists on Thursday in Lokoja, the state capital, Umar-Mike, disclosed that the panel will start with taking ex parte motions.
The Secretary of the Election Petition Tribunal for the off-cycle Governorship poll in Kogi State, David Umar-Mike, has announced that the Panel will commence sitting on Saturday, November 25, 2023.
The three-member panel of Justices was constituted by the president of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Bolna’an-Dongban.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday in Lokoja, the state capital, Umar-Mike, disclosed that the panel will start with taking ex parte motions.
He said, “By God’s grace, the tribunal will be sitting this Saturday, November 25. We will take ex parte motions; this is because all we have at hand right now are the ex parte motions that will be taken on that Saturday.
“But the work proper may take a few more days because counsels will have to go and start looking for documents at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the rest of them before they file their various petitions.”
He said the constitution of the election tribunal was in line with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and the Electoral Act (as amended).
He said the tribunal registry has since opened for business at the state High Court of Justice complex, Lokoja.
SaharaReporters had reported that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the poll.
According INEC, Ododo won the election with 446,237 votes, while his closest rival, Murtala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), scored 259,052 votes.
SaharaReporters also reported that the election was characterized with irregularities including vote-buying and pre-recorded election results in many polling units and wards.