Ekiti governorship election tribunal begins sitting

The governorship election petitions tribunal set up to hear grievances arising from the conduct of the June 21 governorship election in Ekiti state held its inaugural sitting on Wednesday.

Chairman of the tribunal and judge of the federal high court, Jos, Justice Muhammad Siraj (pictured), was the only judge who appeared at the sitting.

The presiding judge struck out a motion ex-parte filed by the petitioner, the All Progressive Congress (APC), seeking to compel INEC to allow it inspect the materials used for the poll.

Mr Lateef Fagbemi, the head of APC’s legal team, made the request on behalf of the party. Fagbemi was represented by another lawyer, Mr Kabir Akingbolu.

The first and second respondents, Mr Ayo Fayose and the PDP, did not make any legal representation at the tribunal’s first day of sitting.

Last weekend, APC filed a suit at the tribunal to seek invalidation of Fayose’s election, saying he was unfit to contest the election.

It also asked the tribunal to declare the action of chief of army staff, as well as IGP’s deployment of over 36,000 armed men to secure the poll, illegal, null and void.

That panel has 180 days to try the case in consonance with the provisions of Section 134 of the Electoral Act, commencing from the day it was filed at the tribunal.

Entrances to the state judiciary headquarters, venue of the tribunal, were secured by scores of fully-armed security men.