– The All Progressives Congress (APC) has suffered another defeat at the governorship, national and state Assembly election petition tribunal in Bauchi
– The tribunal has annulled a suit by the APC challenging the re-election of the speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara
– The tribunal said that the petitioner failed to file pre-trial notices and therefore contravened the provisions of the electoral act 2010 as amended
The governorship, national and state Assembly election petition tribunal in Bauchi, has dismissed a petition filed by Dalhatu Abdulkadir of the All Progressives Congress (APC), challenging the reelection of the speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The APC and its candidate, Dalhatu Abdulkadir, had on March 15, filed a petition before the tribunal challenging the reelection of Yakubu Dogara of the PDP for Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa Federal Constituency seat, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
Delivering her ruling, chairman of the tribunal, Justice Hafsat Abdulrahman, held that the petitioner had failed to file pre-trial notices and therefore, contravened the provisions of the electoral act 2010 as amended.
“Up until now, there is even no subsisting motion or application filed by the petitioner before the tribunal.
“The only option left to the tribunal is to dismiss the petition as there is nothing the tribunal could hold on to,” Abdulrahman held. Earlier, Abdulkadir through his counsel, D.G.Hassan, sought for extension of time.
But Josiah Amubitan, SAN, counsel to Dogara, urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition because Abdulkadir had failed to file a pre-hearing notice before the pre-trial conference
Amubitan told the tribunal that both the petitioner and his counsel have failed to follow sequence of processes leading up to the pre-trial conference.
He argued that the petitioner had therefore, filed the petition outside the time frame stipulated by the electoral act 2010 as amended.
