Delta Tribunal Adjourns Sitting till August 20
Delta State Governor, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa (PDP)[/caption]
Chairman of the Delta State Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Asaba, Justice Nasiru Gunmi, Monday adjourned further hearing till August 20, 2015, in a suit filed by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief O’tega Emerhor, against Dr Ifeanyi Okowa of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The hearing which began on Monday, 17th August, has been adjourned for further hearing till Thursday, August 20th 2015.
The adjournment was prompted after an objection was raised by counsel to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Alex Iziyon and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), challenging the decision of the APC to call seven witnesses without availing them the opportunity of knowing the details of the witnesses.
Advertisement
Iziyon while challenging the decision of the APC, said;
“We were ready to start the trial for this week, in respect of the seven witnesses they listed. Suddenly, we were confronted with subpoena for four witnesses for Thursday.
“Before then, they had applied for leave to call additional witnesses, which the tribunal refused. We have raised objection to the four new witnesses they are proposing to call.”
“Even the witness statements have not been served on us, so the issue is whether the witness summons was appropriate in the circumstance that is what we have raised for consideration.”
Advertisement
Iziyon further declared their readiness to go on with the trial as long as the APC provide the information of her witnesses.
“We are ready to go on with the substantive trial once the information we are seeking about witness summons are made ready to us, let us open the box and see what is in it.”
In responding to the motion raised by both the counsel to the PDP and INEC, the Counsel to the APC pleaded for some time to enable them respond effectively.
Justice Nasiru Gunmi therefore adjourned the sitting to give the APC enough time to respond.
The APC is at the tribunal, challenging the victory of Senator Ifeanyi Okowa of the Peoples Democratic Party in the April 11th governorship election in Delta State.
