Anambra tribunal grants Soludo, Uba consent to inspect election materials

By : Uzoma Nzeagwu, Awka

Date: 10 December 2021 5:09am WAT

[FILES] Electoral officials cancel unused ballot papers at a polling station during the Anambra State governorship election at Uga, Aguata district in southeast Nigeria, on November 6, 2021. - Nigeria's restive southeastern state of Anambra voted for a new governor on October 6, 2021, in a ballot seen as a test of the electoral system less than 18 months before presidential polls. More than 30,000 police have been dispatched to secure Anambra after a string of attacks in the southeast blamed on separatists from the Indigenous People of Biafra or IPOB who agitate for an independent state for the local Igbo people. (Photo by PIUS UTOMI EKPEI / AFP)

The Anambra Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which commenced sitting in Awka, yesterday, granted candidates of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Prof. Charles Soludo and All Progressives Congress (APC), Andy Uba prayers to inspect materials used for the governorship election.

Uba and Soludo had filed motion before the tribunal to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to allow them access and inspect the materials used in the November 6 and November 9, 2021 elections.

In a motion filed through Emeka Okafor, his counsel, Uba prayed the tribunal to compel INEC to allow him inspect the materials of the election including the certified true copies (CTC) of the results in 15-paragraph affidavit and written address.

Also, Soludo’s counsel, A. Ezeokenwa, who supported his motion with an 18-paragraph and written address, prayed the tribunal to allow him inspect all material used in the conduct of the election including access to CTC of the results.

Ruling on Uba’s petition, Chairman of the tribunal, Justice D. Mohammed, said having considered the application and satisfied, ordered INEC to allow him to inspect the election materials.

She said the inspection should be done in the presence of the applicant, respondents, Police and Department of State Service (DSS).

Ruling on Soludo’s motion, Mohammed granted his petition to inspect all the materials used in the conduct of the election, saying the tribunal had listened to the application and was satisfied and urged INEC to allow him to inspect the election materials, including the CTC of results.

She also ordered that the inspection must be done in the presence of the applicant, respondents, the Police and DSS.

It, however, stuck out the petition of Accord Party candidate, Dr. Godwin Maduka after withdrawing his application, who in his petition through his lawyer, N. D. Agu, urged the tribunal to strike out his petition, having lost interest in pursuing it.

Ruling on the motion, Chairman of the tribunal said since the applicant had withdrawn his petition, it had no option than to strike out the application.