Follow Us on Google
Gyang Bere, Jos
Plateau State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to grant the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Sen. Jeremiah Useni, and his party access to the documents used in the March 9 and March 23, 2019, elections in the state.
Chairman of the tribunal, Justice H. A. Saleeman, gave the order on Wednesday in Jos after counsel to the petitioners, Sunni Odey, filed an ex-part motion demanding INEC to allow Useni and the PDP to inspect the electoral materials.
In an ex-parte motion No. 001/2019, the tribunal ordered INEC to allow the PDP inspect the electoral materials before the pre-hearing session following his petition challenging the victory of Governor Simon Lalong of the APC.
The motion reads: “Leave and order of the tribunal permitting the applicants, their counsel or their agents to inspect and make copies of all polling documents relating or pertaining to the 9th March 2019 and 23 March 2019, Plateau State governorship election in the custody of INEC.
“An order compelling INEC to make available to the applicants or their counsel or agents certified true copies of all such polling documents in the prescribed form used and or purportedly used for the 9th March 2019 and 23 March 2019.
“An order directing INEC to confirm in writing the unavailability and the reasons for the unavailability of any such electoral forms or other polling documents relating or pertaining to the governorship election for Plateau State which by law are in the custody of INEC.”
Counsel to the respondents, Sunny Odey, and others had filed ex-parte motion requesting the tribunal to grant them access to the electoral materials used during the governorship election in the state.
Sen. Useni is contesting the victory of Governor Lalong in the governorship election in the state; he says he is not satisfied with the outcome of the election.
