What started as a rumour became reality yesterday when news reports confirmed that the Kogi State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Lokoja has been relocated to Abuja for further sittings.
The Tribunal will now operate from the Court of Appeal complex, Area 11, Garki – Abuja.
According to reports, the sudden decision to relocate the Tribunal was based on the directive of the President of the Appeal Court, Justice Zainab Bulkashua for security reasons. Though they failed to explain the ‘security reasons’, we suspect that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is manipulating this decision for nefarious reasons.
Same way the rumour on relocation became a reality, we as patriotic stakeholders, must raise our voices now that rumours are rife that some of the ruling party stalwarts are part of a plot to influence the election petition tribunals by relocating to Abuja to reach a verdict in favour of APC.
The APC is afraid of her shadows. They have made repeated constitutional errors in the Kogi Governorship election saga and are desperate to cover up their electoral frauds and shenanigans. From invalid nomination of running mate to Late Prince Audu to invalid replacement of governorship candidate, APC in Kogi enmeshed in controversies resulting from undemocratic actions.
So far, the Tribunal has granted petitioners leave to inspect the ballot papers and result sheets used in the elections. A bigger burden is now on the Tribunal to review the cases before her and strive not to bring the judiciary into ridicule by delivering a landmark judgement that will deepen democracy in Nigeria.
We as a people are not comfortable with the relocation as we see it as a ploy to arm-twist the honourable Justices and manipulate judgement in favour of the APC. The ‘security reasons’ on which the relocation is premised upon is mild compared the ‘security reasons’ that will emanate from a possible manipulated judgement on our growing democracy.
We demand further explanation to this curious relocation and re-assurances that the honourable Justices will be fair in their hearings and judgement.
– Adamu Ojonugwa writes from Lokoja.
