Some indigenes of Abia have protested the relocation of the State Election Petitions Tribunal from the Abuja to the Government House, Umuahia.
In a statement issued by the Abia Renaissance Movement (ARM), the group described the action as a “desperate attempt” by the ruling Labour Party (LP) in the state to manipulate the process and subvert justice.
The statement, which was singed by Ukachukwu Chukwunonso (convener) and Maria Nwokoma (secretary), questioned the movement of the election tribunnal to the Abia State Government House.
“Why will a tribunal handling an election matter, in which the current Abia State Government is a defendant, be relocated from Abuja to Abia and to make matters worse, to an office right inside the Government House in Umuahia,” the statement said.
Chukwunonso described the decision as injurious to democracy and “a signal of grave danger” to the justice system.
Th statement reads in part: “We, just like every peace-loving Abian, view the relocation as a desperate attempt by the Labour Party (LP) to manipulate the process and subvert justice given that they are the party in office in Abia State.
“Moreover, one of the key factors that led to the relocation of the Abia State Election Petitions Tribunal to Abuja in the first place was the strike embarked upon by members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Abia State Chapter, which led to the locking up of courts in the state. The situation means judges cannot sit as the support staff needed for the secure and convenience involved in the dispensation of justice to litigants are not available.
“One then wonders why the Labour Party in Abia State is so desperate to rush back the relocation of the Tribunal from Abuja to the State and manipulated it to hold within its own premises of Government House, Umuahia when Abuja has all the ingredients including neutrality, security and availability of judiciary workers to ensure a hitch-free legal process and impartial dispensation of justice to all parties.”
