Benue Tribunal Fixes 19 August For Ruling

The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, yesterday adjourned its ruling till August 19 in the applications by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which sought to strike-out some of the paragraphs that made allegations of criminal conduct and offences against people or persons who had not been joined to the petition.

The adjournment followed prayers by counsels to Governor Gabriel Suswam, the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), urging the panel to rule-out applications instituted by the petitioner, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

The respondents, led by counsel to Governor Gabriel Suswam, Damian Dodo had told the tribunal to abide by its ruling on August 11, 2011 and to accordingly strike-out permanently, the application of the forgery certificate.

Dodo further informed the court of the other issue as contained in their application which dealt with allegations in the counter affidavit, that the third respondent, INEC, did not publish the particulars of its candidate, affirming that it was a pre-election matter that ought not to be brought before the court and therefore urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition.
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