‘Why Rivers Election Tribunal Relocated To Abuja’

Barely five days after the end of the general elections in the country, the Rivers Election Petitions Tribunal has been constituted, and relocated to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, due mainly to security reasons as well as the protracted closure of the state courts.
This is contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Port Harcourt, last Wednesday.
The statement which was issued and signed by the Secretary of the tribunal, Mrs Deborah Musa, indicated that the relocation was approved by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa.
The statement said that the acting Chief Judge of the FCT High Court, Justice Ishaq Bello, approved the FCT High Court, Apo, as the secretariat and trial court for the tribunal.
The statement urged all those who have any matter to present before the tribunal to forward same to the new venue in Abuja, and ensure that they make themselves available for the trial.
The Adamawa Election Petitions Tribunal had earlier announced its relocation to Abuja.
Jonathan’s Aides, Sen Paulkner Face Probe Over Anti-Party Activities
Indications have emerged that Bayelsa State Chapter of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) may soon institute a probe into the alleged anti-party activities by some of the chieftains of the party, including some top aides of the President Goodluck Jonathan.
The affected were alleged to have worked against the interest of PDP’s candidate in the April 11 state House of Assembly elections.
Senator Emmanuel Paulker is also slated to be probed for the same reason.
Sources said the leadership of the party in the state had already summoned and queried some top party chiefs in the state, especially for the open support they gave to All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Labour Party (LP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates.
The source specifically alleged that Paulker and his wife reportedly mobilized thugs and resources against the interest of the PDP’s candidate in favour of his preferred APGA candidate, and also ordered his thugs to beat up the PDP agent for daring to challenge him.
According to the source, the Senator “looked like a wounded lion as he was stopped from having his way.”
The source said since it almost certain that the so-called Jonathan’s men are set to dump the PDP, the leadership of the party has threatened to wield the big stick once its disciplinary committee is done with its findings.

L-R: UN Country Representative to Nigeria, Mr Dauda Toure, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Central Africa (UNOCA), Abdoulaye Bathily, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, for West Africa, Mohamed Ibn Chambas and President Goodluck Jonathan, after an audience with President Jonathan in Abuja, yesterday