15 ELECTION PETITIONS ARE SENT TO THE SOKOTO TRIBUNAL

15 petitions from candidates who lost in the state’s elections for the national and state assemblies have been submitted to the Election Petitions Tribunal (Panel 2) in Sokoto State.

This information was made public yesterday during the tribunal’s first meeting, during which its chairman, Justice Josephine Efunkumbi Oyefeso, a High Court of Lagos judge, presented the members.

The two additional panelists, according to the tribunal’s chairman, are Justice Eze Nonye Eke of the High Court of Justice of Imo State and Khadi Abdullahi Saidu Usman of the Federal Capital Territory’s Sharia Court of Appeal.

In her speech, Oyefeso asserted that the judiciary acts as an impartial arbiter over petitions brought before it and resolves disputes in accordance with the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s constitution and pertinent laws without fear or favor. She claimed that election tribunals are crucial to the resolution of disputes arising from elections in Nigeria.

According to her, the panel received petitions from the National Assembly and eight state assemblies, bringing the total number of petitions it was considering to 15.

According to Section 285(6) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the tribunal has 180 days from the date of filing to decide on the petitions. We ask the bar and the litigants for support and cooperation so that we can quickly finish and decide all of the petitions within the time limit.

We must keep in mind that, if required, sittings may continue on Saturdays and Sundays.

The tribunal is scheduled to start meeting every day at 9 am, with a break for lunch of one hour.

However, the tribunal chairman promised that all cases would be decided in a fair, timely, and just manner.