Tribunal Dismisses Petition Challenging Re-election of Speaker Dogara
http://www.hrlnews.com/2019/05/tribunal-dismisses-petition-challenging.html
The Governorship, National and State Assembly Election Petition
Tribunal in Bauchi State, on Friday dismissed a petition filed by
Dalhatu Abdulkadir of the All Progressives Congress (APC), challenging
the reelection of the Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara
of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The APC and its
candidate, Dalhatu Abdulkadir, had on March 15, filed a petition before
the tribunal challenging the reelection of Yakubu Dogara of the PDP for
for Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa Federal Constituency seat.
Delivering her
ruling, Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Hafsat Abdulrahman, held the
petitioner had failed to file pre-trial notices and therefore,
contravened the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.
“Up until now, there is even no subsisting motion or application filed by the petitioner before the tribunal.
“The only option
left to the tribunal is to dismiss the petition as there is nothing the
tribunal could hold on to,” Abdulrahman held.
Earlier, Abdulkadir through his counsel, D.G.Hassan, sought for extension of time.
But Josiah
Amubitan, SAN, counsel to Dogara, urged the tribunal to dismiss the
petition because Abdulkadir had failed to file a pre-hearing notice
before the pre-trial conference
Amubitan told the
tribunal that both the petitioner and his counsel have failed to follow
sequence of processes leading up to the pre-trial conference.
He argued the
petitioner had therefore, filed the petition outside the time frame
stipulated by the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.
In a related
development, the Bauchi National/State Assembly Election Tribunal II,
also dismissed a petition filed by Yusuf Itas of the PDP, challenging
the election of Bashiru Mashema of the APC for Itas Gadau State
Constituency seat.
The Chairman of
the Tribunal, Justice B. H. Tukur ruled that the petitioner had refused
to approach the Tribunal for prehearing notice.
Tukur, therefore,
said that the action by the petitioner tantamount to abandonment of the
petition as the penal would not allow extension of time. (NAN)