By Chukwudi Nweje
The Anambra governorship election petitions tribunal has relocated its sittings from Awka to Ilorin in Kwara State.
Mr Surajo Gusau, secretary of the tribunal, said the movement took place on December 17 saying the tribunal had already settled down in Ilorin.
He, however, did not disclose reasons for the relocation, saying it was based an administrative directive.
Gusau said the tribunal was handling 12 cases apart from the one filed by Accord Party which was withdrawn on December 9.
The tribunal was set up to handle petitions arising from the Anambra governorship poll, won by Prof. Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
Meanwhile, the Charles Chukwuma Soludo Campaign organisation, yesterday said the Monday Federal High Court judgment that voided the June 26, 2021 primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has vindicated its position that the APC had no candidate in the November 6, 2021, Anambra State governorship election.
A statement by C. Don Adinuba, director, Media and Communication Soludo Campaign, yesterday, in Awka, said the judgment by Justice Ekwo Inyang is a demonstration that “the Nigerian judiciary will always be on the side of truth, discipline, order, justice and courage” and will further ensure that the culture of political and criminal impunity in the country would be checked sooner than later.
“The judgment demonstrates that the Nigerian judiciary will always be on the side of truth, discipline, order, justice and courage. The judge made it abundantly clear that Uba was never the APC candidate, thus vindicating this Campaign which has consistently maintained for several months that the party had no candidate in the election. With sound and bold judgements like the one delivered by Justice Inyang, the culture of political and criminal impunity in the country would be checked sooner than later. Uba and his ilk would now have to think twice before allocating fantastic figures to themselves during party primaries and general elections.”
Adinuba further noted that the judiciary has set in motion the machinery for the new order, with the appellate courts overturning the judgements of the Birnin Kudu High Court and the Owerri High Court on the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) national leadership.
Justice Inyang on Monday, in a suit brought by George Moghalu, founding member of the APC and one of the 14 aspirants that wanted to vie for the party’s governorship ticket nullified Uba’s supposed candidature because there was no APC primary election on Saturday, June 26, and ordered the party to N22 million Moghalu paid as the declaration of interest and nomination to him.