Follow Us on Google
Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Bayelsa governorship Elections Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja has struck out an application filed by Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Erwhudjakpo seeking to stop the subpoena of a witness from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The governorship candidate of the Liberation Movement (LM) Vijah Eldred Opuama had dragged INEC, the Peoples Democratic Party, Governor Douye Diri, Ewhrudjakpo as 1st to 4 th to the tribunal seeking the disqualification of Ewhrudjakpo for allegedly presenting false information to INEC.
The application marked EPT/BY/GOV/02/M37/2020 and filed on the 29/4/2020 was seeking to stop INEC, the 1st respondent from producing the alleged forged documents submitted to it by the deputy governor of Bayelsa state who is the 4th respondent in the suit filed by the petitioner Vijah Eldred Opuama of Liberation Movement (LM).
At its resumed hearing on Monday the tribunal chaired by Justice Muhammaed Sirajo while delivering its ruling agreed with the submissions of Pius Danba Pius lead counsel to the petitioner that the practice of raising an objection in opposition to a subpoena is strange in law and that the witness sought to be called from 1st respondent to tender documents and also testify is a material witness that will establish that the 4th respondent did submit false information in aid of his qualification and that the 3rd and 4th respondents were not qualified to contest the Bayelsa state governorship election held on 16/11/ 2019.
The tribunal held that the application filed by the 4th respondent is premature and was not ripe for filing as the subpoena was yet to be issued by the chairman of the tribunal and therefore dismissed.
Consequently the tribunal issued its prehearing report which spells out the schedule for the hearing of the petition and further adjourned to 1/6/2020 for the petitioner giving him five days to open his case and call all his witnesses.
At its sitting the tribunal had struck out three motions of the respondents including the motion of the 4th Respondent with motion number EPT/BY/GOV/02/M29/20 filed on 22/04/2020 having been withdrawn by the counsel to the 4th Respondent.
The tribunal also struck out PDP address in support of its preliminary objection contained in the reply, for same having been withdrawn for filing without a motion on notice.
The 3rd Respondent’s reply dated 26/4/2020 and filed 27/4/2020 was also struck out by the tribunal with a cost of ₦10,000 against Diri.
The tribunal has dismissed four petitions after the affected political parties, Better Nigeria Progressive Party, African Action Congress, African People’s Alliance and All Peoples Party (APP) withdrew their petitions.
