The Akwa Ibom Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal on Wednesday ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) to move all materials related to the April 11 governorship election in the state to Abuja within 10 days.
Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Sadiq Umar, who gave the order in Abuja, said all the materials, including ballot papers, result sheets and all other documents used in conducting the elections, should be made available for inspection by the tribunal and the petitioner within 14 days.
The tribunal sitting at the FCT High Court complex in Abuja since its relocation from Uyo, the Akwa Ibom capital for security reasons, is entertaining a petition by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Umana Umana, challenging the election of Emmanuel Udom of the PDP as the governor of the state.
Irked by a report of an independent television station that the tribunal had adjourned till Wednesday to rule on application for relocation of the tribunal back to Uyo, Justice Umar warned journalists to avoid misrepresenting its proceedings or risk jail.
Mr. Umar described the report as “misleading misrepresentation of the tribunal and an agenda by the station to put the tribunal into disrepute’’, pointing out that the tribunal’s decision was that the date for the ruling on the application for relocation would be communicated to the counsels.
The judge said that he was disturbed that few hours after the tribunal openly announced its decision, the misleading report of reserving ruling for Wednesday was aired on the station.
“We are disturbed about the report that this tribunal adjourned till today (Wednesday) to rule on application for relocation to Uyo. This is not the decision of this tribunal and I am guided by the recording of that day sitting,” he said.
“In my inaugural speech, I had emphasised that journalists must be objective in their report of our activities, because I knew it will get to this. I want to sound a note of warning to you all that you must be objective in your reporting, because we have to guide our own integrity.
“I will not hesitate to try any culprit ex-parte and to send such a person in Kuje, Keffi or Suleja prison,’’ he said.
Mr. Umar said that he had given instruction to the tribunal registrars to avail any journalist that approaches them for court records or any other document or clarifications on issues.
He said he would also be personally available after every sitting to clarify issues on proceedings and decisions of the tribunal to any journalist.
It would be recalled that counsel to the governor, Udom Emmanuel, had requested that the Tribunal be relocated to the state capital, Uyo.
His request was contained in a motion he filed to challenge the movement of the tribunal to Abuja from Uyo, where it had sat before it was moved on ground of insecurity.
In the motion filed on June 7, the governor argued that the decision to relocate the tribunal from Uyo after its inaugural sitting on May 19 was “in excess of its jurisdiction”.
His lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, stated that lawyers in the case were “inexplicably and without any prior hearing on the matter” informed of the relocation of the tribunal on May 30.
The Lead Counsel to the petitioner, Wole Olanipekun had, however, opposed the application contending that the relocation order was in good faith and for the safety of parties.
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