Tribunal To Hear Petition,Thursday

The Justice Ishaq Bello-
led governorship election petitions tribunal in Anambra State has fixed March 13 for the commencement of hearing of four petitions filed before it for determination.
Bello announced the date shortly after delivering a report on the conclusion of pre-trial conference in Awka recently.
The judge said that seven issues were formulated for determination from the petitions, including whether Dr Chike Obidigbo had the locus standi to file his petition challenging the victory of Chief Willie Obiano.
“The tribunal will determine whether the election of November 16, November 17 and November 30, 2013 was conducted in substantial compliance with the provisions of the law.
“It will further determine whether there were acts of electoral  malpractice that could be said to have marred the outcome of the governorship poll,’’ he said.
Bello said that parties would be allowed three days each to present their witnesses and directed that all certified true copies of documents could be tendered from the bar without calling witnesses.
The judge said that other uncertified documents would go through the normal process of tendering documents, adding that hearing of the petitions would be on daily basis except on Sundays.
Meanwhile, the petitions filed by Sen. Chris Ngige, Mr Tony Nwoye and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against  Obiano, INEC and  APGA were consolidated for speedy hearing.
The tribunal, however, refused to consolidate the petition filed by Obidigbo  against Obiano and two others on grounds that it had separate prayers from other petitions.