Rivers tribunal to decide on jurisdiction July 9

The Rivers State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Monday adjourned sitting to July 9 to decide on the territorial jurisdiction.
The tribunal Chairman, Justice Muazu Pindiga, adjourned the matter after much argument by Mr Emmanuel Ukala (SAN), counsel to the Rivers State Governor, Mr Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The governor had filed in a motion in June, challenging the tribunal’s territorial jurisdiction to entertain the applicant’s petition, Mr Dakuku Peterside of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Wike is also praying the court for an order to hear prayers in the motion outside the pre-hearing session and urging the court to rely on his written addresses as his argument in support of his motion.
At its sitting, Ukala urged the tribunal to address the issue of jurisdiction before it could entertain other applications before it.
According to him, a court cannot, under any circumstances, take a step further or make any order which can affect any of the party once an issue of jurisdiction is before it.
“No amount of urgency can make the court to give an order until the issue of jurisdiction has been addressed. Also, there is no provision in the Electoral Act which says response should not be made to a particular application.
“Having put the court in order for the petition, it became necessary for the applicant to serve the respondents any motion he desires to move before the tribunal. This is an ordinance with the right of fair hearing and is an order with Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution”.
Mr Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN), counsel to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), also concurred with Ukala’s submission, saying that the issue of jurisdiction “is a red light’’ before the tribunal.
According to Adedipe, the issue of jurisdiction needed to be determined if hearing must commence otherwise, it will stop the tribunal in the trap it has set.
Counsel to Peterside, Mr Akin Olujimi (SAN), argued that challenging the tribunal jurisdiction was a means to delay the hearing of the matter.
He said that as at the time the tribunal granted an order on June 11 to inspect the materials used for the governorship election held on April 11, the defendant had not filed the application challenging jurisdiction of the tribunal.
He urged the tribunal to dismiss the matter in order to forge ahead.