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By Akanji Olowolodu, Bauchi
Bauchi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal (GEPT) on Monday, held its inaugural sitting assuring that it will do everything possible to complete its assignment in accordance with the laws.
Chairman of the 3-man panel however called on Counsels to try as much as possible to avoid technicalities that will cause unnecessary delays.
He stressed that in accordance with the laws, the Tribunal has 180 days within which to complete its assignment saying that the Tribunal will work as the stipulates.
The Tribunal Chairman who the Secretary refused to disclosed his name as of the time of filing this report, 1 hour after the conclusion of the inaugural session, assured that the Panel is prepared to hear and determined all the petitions brought before it within the time frame urging the Counsels to cooperate with the Tribunal.
He then announced adjournment of sitting to next week Monday when hearing of the petitions will commence calling on the Counsels to be time conscious.
Speaking to Journalists after the inaugural sitting, lead Counsel to APC and its gubernatorial candidate, Hakeem Afolabi, SAN, said that his team is prepared to pursue the petition to logical conclusion logical conclusion.
The Legal Practitioner assured that the petition will be argued within the time frame stipulated stressing that his team will cooperate with the Tribunal in the dispensation of justice.
Afolabi assured the Tribunal of the best of professional conduct throughout the petition.
In his own remarks, one of the Counsels to PDP and its gubernatorial candidate, Barrister Ben Ogbuchi assured that his legal team is ready to defend the case brought against his clients by the APC.
According to him, “We are ready to defend the mandate massively given to Sen Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir as the Governor of Bauchi State by the people. As you can see, he was elected by the people of Bauchi State and we will stoutly defend the people’s mandate.”
Ogbuchi said that, “We are well prepared to respond to the petitions, we have nothing to fear because the mandate is given by the people of the state.”
The Petitioner, Ambassador Sadique Baba Abubakar who contested for the Governorship under the All Progressives Congress (APC), is challenging the Independent National Electoral Commission the first respondent, Sen Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir, second respondent and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the third respondent on the processes of the March 18th Governorship Election that saw the declaration of Bala Mohamed as the winner.
The Tribunal now has not more than 150 days within which to conclude and deliver its judgment having spent about 30 days for processes and examination of relevant documents by the petitioners and responses by the respondents.
