May 10, (THEWILL) – The chairman of the Cross River State Elections Petition Tribunal, Justice Olukayode Adeniyi, has assured all litigants that the tribunal will be fair to them.
Justice Adeniyi disclosed this in Calabar, during the inaugural sitting of the panel in company of Justice Z. Modibbo (Member 1) and Justice Eva Okoronkwo (Member 11).
He said the tribunal is not a battle ground and they will discharge their duties to the best of their abilities.
He also warned litigants against any form of interference on the panel members as any attempt will be reported to the security agencies.
“The tribunal is not a battle ground and we shall proceed seamlessly and without delay.
“We shall discharge our duties to the best of our abilities and always remain mindful of the oath we took.
“All petitions shall be determined only by the evidence presented.
“We assure all litigants of a fair trial and we will not entertain any form of interference from any quarter and shall report any attempt to interfere with the tribunal to the security agencies”, he said.
He added that the tribunal is conscious of time and sought the cooperation of the bar and bench in the discharge of their assignment.
Also speaking, a member of the inner bar, Murtala Abdul-Rasheed SAN, said the Nigerian public and the international community will be looking at how the tribunal carries out its assignment.
He promised that the inner bar will cooperate with the panel to ensure that justice is served.
In his remarks, the chairman of the Calabar Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, Attah Ochinke, pledged that his members will exhibit professional candour throughout the proceedings.
He said they will take their jobs seriously and will leave no stone unturned in helping the tribunal arrive at a just decision.
The panel will adjudicate on about thirteen petitions which arose from the national assembly legislative elections from the just concluded elections.
The inaugural sitting of the panel is a customary practice where the panel formally introduces itself to the bar and general public.
THEWILL Correspondent, Aniekan Bassey has over six years experience that spans across several fields in print journalism including development communication, sexual reproductive and health rights issues, crime, climate change, social justice, business and human interest stories.
