Nwoye’s bid to nullify Obiano’s election suffers setback By Emmanuel Nzomiwu / Awka The bid by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the November 16, 2013 Anambra governorship election, Tony Nwoye, to restore the multiple registration case of Governor Willy Obiano of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) before the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Awka, was stalled on Thursday. Nwoye had brought a petition before the tribunal, seeking for the nullification of Obiano’s election on the grounds that it was marred by widespread irregularities. Shortly after the PDP candidate mounted the witness box, the counsel to Obiano, the 1st respondent, O. J. Nnadi (SAN), raised an objection that certain paragraphs of the petition were struck out by the tribunal and that the documents in relation to them cannot be tendered and admitted in evidence. But Ikechukwu Ezechukwu, the petitioner’s counsel, argued that they can now tender the document because they have a Court of Appeal judgment, which restored all those paragraphs that were struck out by the tribunal. The respondent’s counsel, Nnadi, disagreed with the counsel to the petitioner, Ezechukwu, saying they cannot rely on the judgment without tendering it before the tribunal. When Ezechukwu eventually brought out the Court of Appeal judgment, Nnadi pointed out some defects on it. Nnadi noted that the judgment was not certified and that there were five justices in the matter, but only one person signed, which was among other defects. Following the objection raised by the respondents, the tribunal, presided over by Justice Ishaq Bello, adjourned till next Tuesday to allow the petitioner (Nwoye) to bring a certified true copy of the Court of Appeal judgment. The tribunal had earlier, at the pre-trial stage, struck out certain paragraphs in the petitions by Nwoye and Chris Ngige of All Progressives Congress (APC) against Obiano, including the reliefs sought by the petitioners on the multiple registration matter.
Posted on: Sun, 20 Apr 2014 06:48:33 +0000