The
Anambra State Election Petitions on Thursday struck out the petition
filed by Prof. Dora Akunyili and the All Progressives Grand Alliance
against the election of Senator Chris Ngige of the Action Congress of
Nigeria in the Anambra Central Senatorial election.
The
tribunal’s decision was based on an application filed by the counsel
for the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mr. Osita Nnadi
seeking to strike out the petition by Akunyili and APGA on the grounds
that they failed to file Form TF008 with the tribunal.
Form
TF008 is required to be filed by parties in a petition, if they intend
to be part of the pre-trial hearing in the petition. Form TF008 contains
the list of questions that must be answered as a party in an election
petition.
Though
INEC and counsel for Ngige and the ACN had argued that the form was not
filed with the tribunal or served on the parties. But counsel for
Akunyili and APGA insisted that the form was filed, as indicated by the
records of the tribunal.
But
the legal team could not explain why they did not serve the other
parties in the petition with the form. They alleged that the form from
their own file was stolen in their hotel.
The
ACN legal team led by Chief Emeka Ngige urged the tribunal to invite
the police and the State Security Service to investigate the manner
through which filing of the form got into the records of the tribunal.
In
a considered ruling, the tribunal chaired by Justice Onajite Kuejubola,
said having established that the petitioner failed to file the form, it
was withdrawing its jurisdiction to hear the pre-trial of the petition.
Written by
Emmanuel Obe Courtesy Of: Punch
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