Bayelsa election tribunal entertains 31 cases, warns against adjournments

By Amgbare Prince, Yenagoa

Bayelsa State Election Petition Tribunal has entertained a total of 31 petitions, which began sitting in Yenagoa, the state capital on Thursday.

The tribunal, however, warned litigants and counsel to desist from seeking unnecessary incessant adjournments and filing of frivolous applications and preliminary objections, which are time wasting and aimed at perverting the course of justice.

Chairperson of the tribunal, Justice O. M. Fadeyi, who gave the advice in her inaugural address to formally begin the tribunal proceedings, noted that since the tribunal was time bound, it needed the support and cooperation of all parties to administer justice.

She said: “We solicit your support and cooperation in administering justice to all manner of people via petition filed before the tribunal.

“As it is described, elections petitions before the tribunal are time bound and by their nature peculiar from other proceedings.

“We undertake to abide by our oath of office, and mandate in dispensing justice with the help of God almighty.

“We seized this opportunity to admonish counsels and litigants to desist from seeking unnecessary incessant adjournments and filing of frivolous applications and preliminary objections which is time wasting, purely an academic exercise, an exercise in futility aimed at perverting the course of justice.”

The Secretary of the tribunal, Abba Umaru Dahiru, in a chat with newsmen after the sitting, said the tribunal received 31 petitions, out of which 22 was for the state house of assembly elections and 9 for the national assembly elections.

He, however, noted that one of the petitions has been withdrawn.