ABIA AA SENATORIAL CANDIDATE WITHDRAWS PETITION, TRIBUNAL NOW SITS IN HOTEL

REPORTER: JOHN MADUAGWU

The Election Petitions Tribunal handling National and State House of Assembly petitions in Abia State has struck out the petition filed by the candidate of the Action Alliance (AA) in the Abia North Senatorial election, Mr. John Azubuike, against his All Progressives Congress counterpart, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu.

The tribunal, headed by Justice Halima Salman, struck out the petition following a motion for withdrawal of the petition, which was moved by the counsel to Mr. Azubuike, Mr. Mike Nwankwo, which was not opposed by the counsel to the respondents.

In the other matters which came up, the tribunal granted more than ten ex-parte applications for substituted service filed by some petitioners challenging the emergence of some winners of the state house of assembly elections.

Radio Nigeria gathered that due to the strike by judiciary workers in Abia State, the tribunal resorted to sitting at a hotel, as the High Court Complex, Umuahia, where it usually sits, was still unaccessible.

EDITED BY CHUKWUBUIKE MADU