The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday (19/08/15) closed its case before the governorship election petitions tribunal sitting in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital without fielding any witness.
The tribunal is hearing a petition brought before it by an All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate, Labaran Maku, who is challenging the declaration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the April 11 governorship election, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, as winner by INEC.
Counsel to INEC, Hassan Liman, SAN, who opened defence during the tribunal's sitting tendered exhibits EC8D and EC8E containing the summary of the governorship election results and final results in the state respectively as well as election materials from six out of the thirteen local government areas of the state before calling off his defence.
However, efforts by the counsel to the petitioner, Tunde Onamosi, to apply for re-opening of the case from the bar was rejected by the chairman of the tribunal, Justice Halima Mohammed, and all the respondents of INEC, Governor Al-Makura and APC.
Ruling on the application brought by Maku’s counsel to re-open the case, the tribunal chairman said: “There is no provision for re-opening of cases after it has been closed within the stipulated time allotted to each party; so we cannot go back to the case again.”
However, after consensual agreement between the legal teams of the petitioner and respondents, the tribunal chairman set September 9, 2015 for the adoption of final addresses.