BREAKING: Rowdy Session As LP Loses Key Bid At Tribunal (DETAILS)

BREAKING: Rowdy Session As LP Loses Key Bid At Tribunal (DETAILS)

The Enugu governorship election tribunal experienced a tumultuous session on Friday as the Labour Party (LP) and its candidate, Chijioke Edeoga, failed in their attempt to have Chukwuemeka Chukwu, the resident electoral commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state, imprisoned.

The LP accused Chukwu of disobeying a valid order of the tribunal, which they considered as “contempt of court.”

The party and its candidate claimed that Chukwu prevented them from inspecting the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) machines used in the March 18 election.

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The LP and Edeoga had previously applied for an order to inspect the BVAS machines, which was granted on March 29. On July 12, their counsel, Valerie Azinge, raised the issue of the ex-parte order that directed INEC to grant them access to inspect the machines.

However, 14 other political parties present in court, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), argued that INEC had already complied with the tribunal’s order. These parties claimed that the LP and Edeoga attempted to tamper with and operate the machines when they were brought for inspection by INEC.

Azinge requested that the tribunal imprison the Enugu REC for allegedly denying the LP the opportunity to inspect the machines. However, the court rejected the application on the grounds of fair hearing, stating that Chukwu should be served with the necessary documents to enable him to respond.

Following the court’s decision not to imprison Chukwu, the LP requested a postponement of proceedings to July 18 to extend the deadline for concluding their case by two days. However, the tribunal declined the request and instead adjourned the case to the next day. The tribunal instructed the petitioners to appear in court on Saturday and Sunday with their witnesses to finalize their case.

At this point, supporters of the LP disrupted the proceedings by shouting, prompting the police to intervene and restore order. The tribunal members then resumed their positions and adjourned the case to July 15.