From Martins Ezigwe
The Anambra State Gubernatorial Election Tribunal sitting in Awka has adjourned hearing till Monday next week in a fresh interlocutory application brought by Counsel to Dr Chike Obidigbo of All Progressive Grad Alliance (APGA) and APGA, seeking that Dr Obidigbo to be declared the winner of the 2013 governorship elections.
The motion moved by Nzeoba Maduabuchi, SAN is seeking the Tribunal to join Obidigbo as a respondent in all four election petitions subsisting before the Tribunal.
Apart from Obidigbo’s petition, the other petitions are those filed by Senator Chris Ngige, jointly with the All Progressive Congress (APC); another filed Mr Tony Nwoye candidate of the PDP in the disputed elections and a third filed by the PDP. All the plaintiffs in the substantive petition opposed the motion.
Bona Oraekwe ESQ, who represented Ngige /APC today, opposed the motion on the grounds that it is a needless waste of time that is detrimental to reaching the justice of the matter in the substantive suit, which is supposed to be determined 180 days from filing.
Ngige and APC filed their petition on December 20, 2013. Oraekwe further contended that the move was unnecessary because APGA is a respondent in the petition of his client and as such, since Obidigbo is part and parcel of APGA, his interest is fully covered by the presence of APGA in the matter as any other issue pertaining to it could be resolved within APGA.
Arguing further,Oraekwe submitted that Ngige/APC are not suing Obidigbo per se because their action is brought against the one who was declared a winner by INEC,as the facts cannot change that it was Chief Willie Obiano who was declared .
Counsel to the PDP and Nwoye respectively also opposed the application on similar grounds, and like APC/Ngige urged the court to dismiss the motion.
An earlier adjourned application filed by Patrick Iwueto, representing Umeh faction of APGA was equally adjourned till Monday to enable parties to ‘be properly served’.
