The High Court sitting in Federal Capital Territory, Abuja Judicial Division has restrained the Benue State Local Government Election Petition Tribunal and Appeal Tribunal from relocating to Makurdi.
This is contained in an interim order given by Justice M.M. Adamu on Friday in a motion exparte dated 1!th Day of March 2025 and filed by Anderson Asemota on behalf of the claimants, the state chairman of the All Progressive Congress, Augustine Agada and two others.
It will be recalled that the Chief Judge of Benue State, Justice Maurice Ikpembese had earlier ordered the relocation of the local government election petition tribunal to Nigeria Bar Association, House, Abuja due to insecurity.
As a result of the Benue State Chief Judge, the sitting of the election petition tribunal could have started in Abuja on Monday, March, 10, 2025 but was halted due to a restraining order by a Federal High Court sitting in Makurdi which ordered that the election petition tribunal should relocate back to Benue State.
But in a the latest interim order secured on Friday by the state APC chairman, Augustine Agada, the High Court, Abuja Division had also directed the election petition tribunal to continue to conduct it’s sitting at the NBA, House Abuja.
The claimants in the suit are; Augustine Agada, (State Chairman of APC), Daniel Ihomun, State party publicity secretary and All Progressive Congress.
While the defendants are; Justices Ityouyimen, D.E. Igoh and M.M Odinya, Chairmen of Benue State Local Government Election Petition Tribunal, Zones A, B and C respectively and 15 others.
The court, however, ruled, “An Order Interim directing, mandating or compelling the 1st to 11th Defendants/Respondents to continue to conduct sittings and hold proceedings of the Benue state Local Government Election Tribunal and the Benue State Appeals Tribunal at the NBA House, Abuja, for the purpose of hearing and determining appeals or petitions arising from the Local Government of Benue State elections held on 5% October 2024, pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice filed contemporaneously with this application.
“An Order Of Interim Injuction restraining the 1st to 18th Defendants/ Respondents from relocating the Benue state Local Government Election Tribunal and the Benue State Appeals Tribunal sitting at the NBA House, Abuja or any other venue within the territorial or geographical delineation of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja to Benue State, for the purpose of hearing and determining appeals or petitions arising from the Local Government of Benue State elections held on 5th of October 2024, pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice filed contemporaneously with this application.
“An Order Of This Honourable Court directing or mandating the 16th to 17th Defendants/Respondents, whether directly by themselves or indirectly through their offices, agents, privies, representatives, Attorney’s however culled, persons acting under their instructions or control or officers to provide security cover to the 1st – 11th Defendants/Respondents aimed and tailored at facilitating the sitting of the Benue State Local Government Election Tribunals and the Benue State Appeal Tribunal within the geographical territory of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, pending the hearing, and determination of the Motion on Notice filed contemporaneously with this application.
The case has been adjourned to the 29th of April, 2025 for hearing of the Motion on Notice.
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