Insecurity: Kogi Governorship Election Tribunal Moves To Abuja

Following safety concerns, the Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal for the November 11, 2023 gubernatorial polls, has been relocated to Abuja for safety.

President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, who announced this in a statement on Wednesday, said the relocation of the tribunal takes immediate effect.

This was further corroborated by Mr. David Umar Mike, who is the Secretary of the Tribunal, saying that the sittings of the tribunal would no longer take place in Lokoja but at the National Judicial Institute on Umar Yar’Adua Way, Abuja.

The statement therefore directed all the litigants and parties to take note of the change in venue.

Forefront News gathered that members of staff of the tribunal were attacked on several occasions in Loloja.

Specifically, last Monday, some officials of the tribunal were attacked on their way to the office by armed men that pounced on them and robbed them of everything including vital documents that were in their car.

It was gathered that items carted away by the sponsored armed men included copies of petitions and personal belongings, official receipts, processes like subpoena, official stamps among other things.

Over the last two weeks, sponsored political thugs attempted to frustrate the work of the officials of the tribunal at the Lokoja sitting which put their lives at stake thereby made it difficult for the tribunal to work.

Similarly, some officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), including the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Gabriel Hale Longpet was attacked in his residence in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital just as the Commission’s office in Lokoja was barricaded.

The Governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), who came second is challenging the outcome of the November 11, election results won by the All Progressives Congress (APC) as declared by INEC.