The chairman of the Tribunal Justice H.O Solanke had requested the parties to ensure they compile their pending motions to be accommodated in the substantive applications to enable the court deliver a uniform judgment as regards the 180 provision for the tribunal.
Justice Solanke had earlier dismissed two motions out of three sought by the counsel to the petitioner Chike Onyemenam SAN to be included in the substantive application and granted the third motion which sought to grant access to some documents from the Independent Electoral Commission , which according to INEC was served on them in court this morning and prayed the court to grant them time to study before reply.
Speaking to newsmen counsel to the applicant, Barrister Chike Onyemelum SAN lauded the position of court to enable both parties expound their petitions before the stipulated days granted for election petition tribunal by the constitution.
In their separate speeches, counsel to the first respondent Jude Nnodum SAN and forth respondent Barrister Alex Iziyen SAN in the matter, being INEC and Senator Stella Oduah expressed hope that the pretrial case would be speedily dispensed off to enable the court entertain the substantive case for judgment,
In his word, the petitioner and candidate of APGA in the March 28th National Assembly Election, Chief Dubem Obase expressed hope that the present tribunal would grant free hearing and in the end give judgment that will be acceptable to all.
Meanwhile, the court has also allowed the two petitioner in the Nnewi North and South Federal Constituent Emeka Ojukwu Jr. of the APGA and Fred Agbasi of the All Progressive Congress challenging the election of Honourable Chris Azubogu leave to collapse their prayers into one for consolidated hearing and adjourn till July 14th for continue hearing of the petitions.
The petitioner Emeka Ojukwu said he has confidence in the tribunal to get justice in the matter.
The laws that created rooms for periodic elections into elective public offices in Nigeria, which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is empowered to conduct, also allow rooms for Elections’ Petition Tribunals (equivalent of high courts) to handle judicial petitions arising from the conduct of such polls, with a view to determining the authenticity or otherwise of such polls. Such petitions are filed by aggrieved parties. Where no judicial petition is filed at an Election Petition Tribunal within a stipulated time frame, the referenced poll is deemed validly conducted