Enugu LGAs: Tribunal Adjourns Judgement on APC Case Against PDP

Posted by Ignatius Okpara Featured, Ignatius Okpara, Latest Headlines, News, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Thursday, September 3rd, 2020

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Local Government Elections Petitions Tribunal sitting in Enugu has adjourned to September 14^th, 2020 for ruling on a petition brought before it by the councillorship candidate of the All Progressive Party in the last council polls held in the state, just as the opposition party expressed hope for victory.

African Examiner correspondent who covered the court proceedings reports that APC councillorship candidate in the election, Engineer Philip Eze is praying the court to nullify the election held in two major pulling units in Eke ward in Udi Local Government on the ground that there were alleged irregularities.

The APC candidate, through his lawyer, Barrister Godwin Onwusi is alleging that ballot papers were more than the officially issued ones during counting in one of the pulling units in the ward.

It therefore, argued that since the ballot papers were allegedly more than the ballot issued as well as disruption of election, the elections in the two pulling units should be nullified and a fresh election held to determine the winner.

However, Defence Counsel, Barrister PM Onyia kicked against the petition urging the tribunal to disregard the petition and quashed it.

After the adoption of the written addresses by the counsels of both parties, chairman of the three man panel, Justice J E Onah adjourned the case to September 14 2020 for ruling.

Addressing newsmen shortly after the adjournment of the matter a chieftain of the APC and the Director General (D-G) of Voice of Nigeria , Osita Okechukwu stressed the need for recovery of councils from governors across the board.

The VON boss, who is from Eke Ward advocated for a free and fair election at the council level in Nigeria, positing that there can’t be democracy without democracy at the grassroot.

He said: “Our mission is to recover the local council from governors, governors across the board. Can there be democracy if there is no democracy at the grassroot level. I don’t think so. We urge that we must continue the mission to recover local councils that have been hijacked by our governors across board’

According to him, it was unfortunate that local government chairman had continued to alleged that the governors are in charge whenever they were asked about execution of projects, adding that there can never be true democracy in a country without a vibrant and people oriented local government system.