The Anambra Governorship Election Tribunal panel yesterday said it was not interested in using technicalities to dismiss any matter before it.

Reacting to the request by the lead counsel to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Patrick Ikwueto, seeking order to strike out the application brought by Dr. Chike Obidigbo since it was a pre-election matter, Chairman of the panel, Justice Ishaq Bello said the panel would give all the parties chance to be heard.

He said: “We are here to de-emphasise on any form of technicalities, but we are here to allow every counsel to ventilate his mind.”

Petitioners at the tribunal are Senator Chris Ngige of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Tony Nwoye of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Chike Obidigbo of APGA, among others.

However, while Obidigbo was praying the tribunal to determine, who was the candidate of APGA before the election and for him to be declared as the candidate of the party, Ngige and Nwoye were seeking for either the cancellation of the November 16, 2013 governorship election or to declare them as winners.

But Ikwueto, had said the tribunal was not a forum to ventilate argument on who the national chairman of APGA was, stressing that it would be illogical and absurd for the case to be heard.

He insisted that by virtue of the pendency of one of the cases by the petitioner in the case, the hearing of the matter would be an abuse of process.

His application was not opposed by neither the governor-elect’s counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu, who added that no paper to that effect had been filed, nor INEC counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo.

Opposing the application, Maduabuchi Oba, who had the fiat of his principal, Prof. F. C. Dike to handle the matter, requested for short adjournment to include APGA in order not to be shut out on technical grounds and it was granted him.

Justice Bello therefore fixed February 14, 2014 for reply from all respondents.

•Text courtesy Daily Sun. Photo shows Anambra Governor-elect, Chief Willie Obiano.

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