NASS TRIBUNAL STUNNED AT EKON'S APATHY TO OWN PETITION

...Ekon seeks frivolous adjournment

...We are ready for the petition - Umanah's Counsel

With barely two weeks to the conclusion of post election matters, the National Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal in Uyo Chaired by Justice W. O Akanbi, was on Thursday stunned at the apathy exhibited by S. C. Peters, Counsel to the Petitioner in the case where Emmanuel Ekon of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is challenging the victory of Hon. Aniekan Umanah of the Peoples Democratic Party in the just concluded National Assembly elections.

Hearing the case captured EPT/AKS/HR/04/2019, the preparedness of the petitioner's counsel to pursue the case to its finality came under suspicion when he rather than proceed with the adoption of written addresses, earlier agreed by parties, queried the constitution of the panel, where one of the three members was absent.

Wondering why a petitioner would surreptitiously seek to abandon his matter and rather rely on flimsy excuses of quorum, which the law has expressly addressed, counsel to the first respondent, Solomon Umoh (SAN) decried the inanity in the petitioner's decision to frustrate a matter he brought to court, citing as unsatisfactory Peters' conduct and attitude in the case from pretrial.

Umoh in his submission on why the case should continue, informed the court of the essence of time in post election litigation, describing the Petitioner counsel's needless patronage of issues the law has adequately provided for as an attempt at postponing doomsday for his petition, which he referred to as inconsequential and lacking in merit.

Aligning with the position of the first respondent, the second and third respondents, G. A. Umoh, Esq. and M. D. Dan-Gospel respectively held that S. C Peters antics was a signal that his client had a bad case, enlisting the case as one of the rare instances a petitioner would be deliberately frustrating his matter, due to lack of facts.

The petitioner's unpreparedness came to the fore when he sought the court to excuse his client's absence, only for the said client to saunter into the courtroom moments after proceedings had commenced, with his phone ringing; a tactics viewed as premeditated to distract the panel into considerations of contempt charge, rather than hearing the matter.

Hon. Aniekan Umanah of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) it would be recalled was declared winner of the February 23, 2019 National Assembly election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over Emmanuel Ekon candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC); bringing an end to Ekon's third term ambition as Member for Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.

Waste of precious time