From Chuks Collins, Awka
The 3-man Anambra state election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Awka and presided over by Justice B Mohammed has struck out the petition by Dr Godwin Maduka, candidate of the Accord Party’s challenging the victory and declaration of Prof Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) as winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The petition was struck out following an exparte motion brought before the tribunal by the lawyer to Accord Party and Dr Maduka, Mr. N. D. Agu.
The rest members of the tribunal included Justice Edem Akpan and Justice O.H. Oyajinmi.
In Moving the motion exparte, Mr. Agu urged the tribunal to strike out the petition because “the petitioners are no longer interested in pursuing the petition.
Agu also informed the tribunal that the petition was not even served on any respondent/parties.
So while ruling on the motion exparte, the tribunal chairman noted that the prayers of the applicants be granted and accordingly struck out the petition.
Meanwhile, earlier the tribunal had ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to allow the All Progressives Congress, APC and its candidate, Sen. Andy Uba, as well as the Anambra state Governor-elect, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo and his political party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, access to jointly inspect all the materials used in the conduct of the just concluded Anambra state governorship poll.
