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Benue Governorship Tribunal Fixes date for Pre-Hearing
conference
By Richard Agwa Newsdiaryonline Wed June
29,2011
 The
Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Makurdi today
June 29, 2011 has fixed July 11, 2011 for commencement of pre
hearing in the petition filed by Prof Steve Ugbah challenging
the election of Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State.
Delivering the ruling on a motion ex parte which was filed by
ACN legal team asking the Tribunal to set down the petition for
hearing pursuant to Paragraph 18 of the 1st Schedule to the
Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended), the tribunal ordered that, its
Secretary should issue out Form TF009 to all the parties for
pre-hearing conference.
In another development, the Governorship Election Petition
Tribunal sitting in Makurdi ordered INEC Benue State to produce
all ballot papers used for the conduct of the Governorship
election on April 26, 2011 in the Local Governments which they
failed to produce for the inspection by the Petitioners in
Makurdi to same forthwith. The Local
Governments are; Logo, Ukum, Guma and Apa. INEC had earlier
referred the Petitioners to the headquarters of those Local
Governments to go and carry out the inspection. But the ACN
legal team through Barrister Andrew Wombo, G. T Igba and Mike
Assoh this morning moved the tribunal through and ex parte
application to compel INEC to make available the
said ballot papers to Makurdi for inspection. It will be
recalled that, Prof Steve Ugbah is challenging the re-election
of Governor Gabriel Suswam in the April 26, 2011.
In a similar development, the tribunal has also fixed July 7,
2011 for pre-hearing conference in the case of Prof Daniel Saror
of the ANPP challenging the election of Governor Gabriel Suswam
on the ground that Governor Gabriel Suswam was not qualified to
contest the 2011
Governorship Election in Benue State having presented a forged
GCE 1982 O/Level Certificate to the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC).
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