The tribunal subsequently directed the parties to exchange briefs and other relevant documents before the next adjourned date.
The Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja has ordered the All Progressives Congress (APC) to pay the sum of N100,000 to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its governorship candidate, Murtala Yakubu Ajaka, for inconsistency.
It was gathered that the tribunal which commenced a pre-hearing session on Wednesday morning at about 9 am came hard on the APC’s legal team for their inconsistency in filing and withdrawing several but similar motions after responses from the petitioners’ lawyers.
The APC had applied for withdrawal of its motion for the second time, which was not challenged by the lead counsel for the petitioners, Jibrin S. Okutepa (SAN), but Okutekpa demanded a cost, having wasted time to respond to the motion.
The tribunal in its ruling struck out the motion following the application for withdrawal and ordered that a cost of N100,000 be paid to Ajaka and his political party.
The tribunal adjourned the petition until January 31, for continuation of pre-hearing during which pending applications including the APC’s new motion and other applications to be filed shall be heard.
The chairman of the tribunal added that much time had been spent since the filing of the petition on December 2, 2023 and that the tribunal has two weeks to conclude the pre-hearing.
The tribunal subsequently directed the parties to exchange briefs and other relevant documents before the next adjourned date.
Ajaka and his political party, SDP, among other electoral offences, are challenging the declaration of the APC’s governorship candidate in the November 11, 2023 election, Ahmed Usman Ododo, as Kogi State governor on the grounds of over-voting in some local government areas in the state.