Akunyili Appeals Tribunal’s Verdict

Former Minister of Information, Prof. Dora Akunyili has appealed the verdict of the National Assembly election petition tribunal sitting in Awka, which dismissed her petition.

Akunyili, a Senatorial candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) is challenging the victory of Dr Chris Ngige of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) at the last senatorial election for Anambra Central.

In its ruling last  Thursday in Awka, the tribunal dismissed the petition by Akunyili and said that it was filed out of time.

The tribunal, headed by Justice Onajite Kujebola said that the petition did not comply with terms of form TF008 which was a condition for the commencement of pre-hearing.

Kujebola ruled that non-compliance with the time of filing and serving all the parties stripped the tribunal of the jurisdiction to continue with the petition and, dismissed it.

Mr Bona Orakwe, counsel to Akunyili, however said that she had appealed the verdict.

Orakwe told newsmen  in an interview on Friday in Awka that the APGA candidate and her party were dissatisfied with the tribunal’s decisions.

“A notice of appeal was filed at the Court of Appeal this morning, and one of the grounds is that the tribunal erred in law in striking out the petitioner’s petition on grounds that the petitioner did not file the requisite form TF008 (Pre-hearing information sheet)”

The counsel said the tribunal had earlier made a pronouncement on the issue in its ruling delivered on October 4, 2011.

He said that having made a pronouncement on the objection, the tribunal was now precluded from re-considering the same complaint.

The ruling of the tribunal, he said, amounted to sitting on appeal or re-opening the issue decided on its previous decision.

Orakwe said that the decision of the tribunal was in the circumstances unsupportable and had occasioned a miscarriage of justice.