Tribunal postpones Benue election petition hearing
Panel A of the Benue Local Government Election Petition Tribunal, currently sitting in Abuja, has adjourned proceedings until 24 March to consider motions challenging its jurisdiction.
This adjournment comes despite a ruling from the Federal High Court in Makurdi, which directed the tribunal to relocate back to Makurdi for its sittings.
The tribunal is divided into three panels, each covering a senatorial district—Panels A, B, and C—to expedite the handling of election petitions.
Justice Augusten Choyinman presides over Panel A, while Justices Egoh and M.M. Odinya head Panels B and C, respectively.
Justice Choyinman granted the adjournment at the request of Mr Mohammed Ndarani (SAN), counsel to the 1st respondent, who raised jurisdictional objections.
The 1st respondent is urging the tribunal to return to Makurdi in compliance with the earlier Federal High Court directive.
During the hearing, Mr Ndarani informed the tribunal that he had received a counter affidavit that same morning and required additional time to respond.
“My Lord, we were just served with a counter affidavit this morning. I have not yet had the opportunity to review other applications,” he submitted to the tribunal.
He further remarked: “These are intricate motions. If a date is set, we will present arguments for all applications together.”
Mr Ndarani also pointed out that the case files for Ukum, Logo, and Kastina Ala Local Governments, which fall under Panel A, remain in Makurdi.
Following this, the judge instructed all parties to retrieve the necessary files and adjourned the hearing to 24 March, when the motions will be addressed.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), one of the major cases before the tribunal involves internal disputes within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State.
A faction led by Mr Augustine Agada claims electoral victory, while candidates associated with Omale Benjamin’s APC group were officially declared winners.
This controversy has heightened political tensions, raising concerns over the legitimacy of those declared as chairmen and councillors.
Meanwhile, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has also filed a petition, alleging widespread electoral irregularities and corrupt practices.
The PDP is calling for the annulment of the entire election, citing these alleged violations.
Additionally, there is an outstanding application requesting that all tribunal members recuse themselves from the proceedings.
The tribunal is set to examine petitions from 23 chairmanship candidates and 276 councillorship aspirants who were screened by the Agada-led APC faction.
These petitioners challenge the legitimacy of officials currently in office, who were instead screened by the Omale Benjamin-led caretaker committee.
