Akume Vs Jev: Tribunal adjourns case indefinitely

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

Senator representing Benue North West Senatorial District Sen. Emmanuel Orker Jev yesterday urged the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal to dismiss the petition filed by erstwhile Sen. George Akume for lacking merit and competence.
Counsel to Sen. Jev Chief E.K. Ashiekaa who made the submission while adopting his written address, contended that Akume’s petition is defective and ought to be dismissed in its entirety.
He reminded the tribunal of two (2) applications whose rulings were deferred, amongst them that, the petitioner went outside and introduced new issues outside the petition as well as introduced some offensive paragraphs in the second paragraph of his reply to their reply.
In his submission, counsel to the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP C. A. Gbehe said the issue of competence of the petition raised by them is pending, frowning at the petitioners for merely dumping documents on the court.
“On these grounds, I urge the court to dismiss the petition in its entirety for lacking merit,”he urged.
While counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC P. Pusa urged the court to resolve the issue of over voting, card reader and voter register as raised by the petitioners in his favor.
On his part, counsel to the petitioner Ishaq Dikko said they formulated an issue of whether or not the Senatorial election for Benue North West District conducted in February 2019 was done in substantial compliance with the Electoral Law.
Having listened to submission of all parties, the tribunal chairman P.O. Odugu adjourned the matter for judgement on a date to be communicated by the tribunal secretary to the parties.