The President of the Court of Appeal, Monica Dongban-Mensem, has directed that the Ebonyi State Election Petitions Tribunal to be relocated to Abuja immediately.
The directive was announced by the Secretary of the tribunal, Nyior Sekulla in Abakaliki on Wednesday.
It would be recalled that some of the litigants have raised concerns that the tribunal could be undermined by the candidates who they are challenging their declarations by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), hence the called for the tribunal be moved out of the state.
The secretary said the tribunal office at the Ebonyi State Judiciary headquarters in Abakaliki has been shut down from Wednesday, following the directive, adding that all processes relating to matters before the tribunal would continue at Abuja.
He said: “The Honourable Justice Monica Dongban Mensem, President Court of Appeal – HPCA has through the Deputy Chief Registrar, Election Petition Tribunal (EPT) Headquarters Abuja, directed the relocation of EPT sitting here to FCT Abuja.
“Therefore, in compliance with the HPCA directives, the petitioners, counsel to parties and general public is hereby informed via this medium that, the EPT sitting here in Abakaliki thereby cease to operate in Abakaliki as at 26-04-23; filings of processes, taking of proceedings etc. shall henceforth continue at Abuja.”
When asked why the decision to move the tribunal to Abuja, the secretary said it was not within his powers to speak on the reasons.
He, however, noted that the Rivers State Election Petition Tribunal and that of one other state were also affected.
The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ebonyi State, Ifeanyi Odii, and that of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Bernard Odoh, had rejected the declaration of Francis Nwifuru as the winner of the March 18 election and governor-elect of the state.