TRIBUNAL GRANTS KALU LEAVE TO INSPECT INEC DOCUMENT

Abia State election petition tribunal for the National and State Houses of Assembly has granted for­mer governor of the state, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, leave to inspect documents used for Abia North senatorial elec­tion.

The tribunal, which com­menced sitting yesterday, also granted the former governor’s application to serve the first re­spondent in the petition, Chief Mao Ohuabunwa, by substi­tuted means.

Dr. Kalu contested the Abia North Senatorial election on the platform of Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), while Chief Ohuabunwa, who was declared winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) contested on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Kalu’s team of lawyers, led by K. C. Nwafor (SAN), had presented two motions to the tribunal, which were attended to yesterday by the panel headed by Justice M. B. Wakili.

Mr. Perfect Okorie, who represented Nwafor at the tri­bunal, told Daily Sun that apart from having access to INEC materials used for the election, forensic experts would also be brought in to do their bit and unravel what transpired during the March 28 National Assem­bly election.

“They gave us seven days to commence the inspection of those documents which we asked for and the seven days start from any time they are served, but we are definitely going to serve them tomorrow (today). We have that opportu­nity to now begin to inspect the documents with our forensic experts.

“The substituted service is also seven days, we will confer with the court bailiff to effect service,” Okorie explained, adding that the matter had been adjourned till May 14.

Okorie explained that the life span of any election petition is 180 days, in accordance with Electoral Act, adding: “And we know and hope that the way and manner the tribunal is go­ing about it, it will do justice within that period of time al­lowed by the Act.”

Other matters called yes­terday were those filed by All Progressives Grand Alli­ance (APGA) candidate for Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency, Nnamdi Iro Orji against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Nkole Ndukwe; APGA candidate for Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Fed­eral Constituency, Dr. Ejike Orji against PDP’s candidate, Nkeiruka Onyejiocha and APGA senatorial candidate for Abia North, Chief David Ogba Onuoha against PDP’s candi­date, Chief Mao Ohuabunwa.