2015 Polls: Delta Governorship Election Tribunal Adjourns Again
PDP, INEC demand Emerhor’s witness details
Omon-Julius Onabu
Chairman of the three-man Delta State Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Asaba, Justice Nasiru Gunmi, yesterday adjourned till August 20, 2015, hearing in the 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 new date for commencement of substantive trial in the petition was prompted by the request by counsel to Okowa and the PDP as well as that of INEC for details of the witnesses lined up by the counsel to Emerhor and the APC.
During the resumed hearing of the matter yesterday, Counsel to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and PDP, Dr. Alex Iziyon (SAN), as well as counsel to INEC, Mr. A. T Kehinde (SAN), raised a preliminary objection through motion-on-notice challenging the locus standi of APC and Otega to call seven witnesses without availing them the opportunity of knowing the details of the witnesses.
The tribunal had subpoenaed seven witnesses to be called by APC and Otega counsels to support their claims in the petition at the tribunal.
Iziyon stated: “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.”
He further noted, “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.”
He however added: “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.”
Nevertheless, counsel to Emerhor, Mr. Thompson Okpoko (SAN), sought leave of the tribunal for extension of time to enable him respond to the motions as filed by INEC and PDP through their respective legal counsels.