Appeal Court Dissolves Borno Governorship Election Tribunal.

The judgment of the borno state Governorship Election Petition siting in Abuja was on Thursday arrested following the disbanding of the panel by a directive from the President of the Court of Appeal.

The venue of the court’s proceedings was already bursting at its seams as early as 7:25 am with supporters of Governor Kashim Shettima of the All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP, and those of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Ibrahim Goni.

News of the dissolution of the panel soon began to filter into the large supporters’ ears and pandemonium soon broke out as questions started flying around as to the reason for the dissolution of the panel on a day scheduled for the delivery of judgment.

The PDP and its candidate in the 26 April gubernatorial election, Ibrahim Goni, were challenging the victory of ANPP’s Kashim Shettima at the polls but the Tribunal’s location was shifted from Maiduguri, the state capital to the Federal Capital city in the wake of series of bomb attacks by the raging Boko Haram Islamic sect.


The Tribunal as at today has only four days to expire in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.

Shock and disbelief greeted the eventual announcement by the Secretary to the Tribunal that the tribunal has been dissolved following directives from the Registrar of the Court of Appeal.

Counsel to Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Mr. Paul Erokoro, a senior advocate of Nigeria, expressed surprise over the development while a member of the House of Representatives from the state, Alhaji Mohammed Mongono condemned dissolution of the panel in very strong terms

Goni and the Peoples Democratic Party last week approached the Supreme Court seeking an order to stop the Tribunal from delivering judgment on their petition.

The Apex Court in its ruling held that the Appeal filed by the People’s Democratic Party and its candidate had become a mere academic exercise in view of the absence of jurisdiction and time allowed by 60 days as provided by section 285(7) of the 1999 constitution to determine the said appeal.

As at the time of filing this report, attempts to find out from the Court of Appeal why the Borno state gubernatorial election petition panel was dissolved were yet to yield results.


Source. Pm News