The
Election Petitions Tribunal in Awka on Tuesday struck out the petition
filed by Prof. Dora Akunyili against Chris Ngige’s victory in the
Anambra Central Senatorial poll last year.
Former Minister of Information Akunyili had been
locked in legal battle with former Anambra State Governor Ngige to be
declared the winner of the election.
Akunyili contested the election under the banner of
the All Progressive Grand Alliance while Ngige represented the Action
Congress of Nigeria.
Ruling on an oral application for the striking out of
the petition made by counsel for Ngige, Mr. Emeka Ngige, the Chairman
of the tribunal, Justice Pat Onajite-Kuejubola, held that the tribunal
lacked the jurisdiction to continue to try the petition.
Onajite-Kuejubola said the petition was dismissed
based on the recent Supreme Court’s decision that the 180 days given for
the determination of election petitions at the tribunal level could not
be altered in any way.
She said, “The 180 days cannot be extended, not even
by an order of the Court of Appeal. Accordingly, the tribunal no longer
has jurisdiction to try the petition. Consequently, all the proceedings
of the tribunal from the day the petition was returned from the Court of
Appeal for retrial are now a nullity. The petition is hereby
dismissed.”
Earlier during the proceeding, Ngige’s counsel had
drawn the attention of the tribunal of the Supreme Court’s decision of
February 14 and 17, 2012, barring the tribunal from further hearing in
the petition.
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