By Ada Bosa
The division in All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) today reared up its ugly head as two lawyers traded tackle over who should be the right person to served the reply of the respondent, Chief Willie Obiano in the suit brought before the Anambra State Gubernatioal Election Tribunal by Dr Chike Obidigbo of APGA seeking to be declared the winner of the November 16th, 17th and 30th November 2014 election in the state.
Obidigbo had sued INEC, APGA and Willie Obiano in his own petition filed in December, but the reply by the respondents apparently failed to recognise the Obidigbo faction or lawyers appointed by them .Hence the reply to the petition was sent to a different APGA faction, as the authentic faction, with lawyers on both sides laying different claims of having been served or not.
The development may have influenced a one-week adjournment of the matter, along with three other petions filed by Senator Chris Ngige and All Progressive Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Tony Nwoye. The Tribunal reconvenes on Tuesday February 11, 2014 to take arguments of preliminary matters.
Senator Chris Ngige and APC lawyers led by Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN had filed a notice of discontinuance to strike out the name of one of the fifth respondent, Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD) and another motion urging the court to reserve all preliminary objections to be taken together with the substantive matters in the petition, for want of time, paying attention to the maximum 180 days allowed in the matter.
