Plateau N’Assembly election tribunal reserves judgment indefinitely

THE National and State Houses of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal in Jos has reserved judgments in the two petitions of Mrs. Eunice Ayisa Sambo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) against the immediate past governor of Plateau State, Senator Jonah David Jang for Plateau North Senatorial seat and that of Yakubu Gomshar against Timothy Golu for Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency in the National Assembly.

This came to light yesterday following the adoption of final written addresses of counsels in the matter.

In the petition of Ayisa Sambo, counsel to the first respondent, Sunday Oyewole, in his submission after adopting his final written addresses, asked the tribunal to find and hold that all the electoral materials and result sheets tendered by the petitioners are inadmissible and should be rejected.

Oyewole further submitted that all the certified true copies of documents tendered by the petitioners failed to meet the requirements of law on certification because the certifying officer did not certify any of them in long hand and that if the tribunal on the basis of that expunged the documents, the petitioners would have nothing left to hold on to, particularly when their case rested on documented evidence.

The counsel accordingly urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition.

In his address, counsel to the petitioner, Mr. Garba Pwul (SAN), asked the tribunal to discountenance the submission of Oyewole on the grounds that the issue of certification of documents and the admissibility has been dealt with at the time they were tendered.

Pwul further submitted that the documents referred to were further supported by witness statements, which further brightened the position of the petitioners.