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Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
The Governorship and State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Makurdi, the Benue State has granted the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Emmanuel Jime, and the party to serve their petition on Governor Samuel Ortom through substituted means.
In a motion ex parte filed by Jime and the APC, in which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Samuel Ortom and the PDP were first, second and third respondents respectively, the petitioners had sought leave of the tribunal to serve the petition and all other processes in the petition on the second respondent’s state party secretariat situated at No 1, Steven Lawani street, new GRA, Makurdi.
The tribunal granted the motion ex parte and ordered that the second respondent, Governor Ortom be served through the state PDP secretariat.
The motion ex parte which was signed by the Secretary of the elections tribunal, Deborah Musa, stated that the tribunal was satisfied that personal service could not be effected on the second respondent.
“We are satisfied that it is reasonable/probability that the documents to be served on the 2nd respondent, would in the ordinary course through any of the means or ways proposed in prayer to come to his knowledge.
It therefore ordered that in view of the voluminous nature of the processes involved, the petitioners/applicants are to ensure that the documents are handed over to a person through whom they will get to the 2nd respondent in the interest of justice.
