The Akwa Ibom State Governorship Elections Petition Tribunal, which convened in Uyo, has rejected an application by the Young Progressives Party (YPP) candidate, Senator Bassey Albert, to relocate the Appeal Tribunal from Uyo to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Adekunle Adeleye, stated that the tribunal had not received any notice of stay of execution or relocation from the President of the Court of Appeal. Therefore, the tribunal ruled that the hearings on the petition filed by the YPP candidate challenging the election of Pastor Umo Eno of the PDP would continue in Uyo on Thursday.
However, on Wednesday, the hearing could not proceed as the three-member Election Petitions Appeal Tribunal panel did not have a quorum due to the absence of one member. As a result, the hearing was adjourned to Thursday at 9 am.
The petitioner’s counsel, Tunde Falola, reminded the court that their request to the President of the Court of Appeal to relocate the tribunal to Abuja was still pending, as they had not received a response. He cited concerns over threats to their client’s life and the safety of their legal team as the reason for the relocation request.
The counsel for the first respondent, INEC, Abdul Mohammed, opposed the petitioners’ position, arguing that there was no evidence that the application for relocation would be granted and no legal basis to stay the proceedings until such an application is granted. Mohammed emphasized that the petitioners were present in court, including their lead counsel who traveled from Abuja.
The tribunal adjourned the hearing to Thursday, stating that it had not received any communication from the President of the Court of Appeal to stay the proceedings. The counsel to the petitioners was urged to ensure the availability of their witnesses the next day.
In a separate matter, the petition of the APC and its governorship candidate against Governor Umo Eno and the PDP was adjourned to July 11. The counsel to the APC governorship candidate and APC requested an adjournment to obtain documentary exhibits from INEC and to allow the court to convene with a quorum.