The election of five local government
chairmen and several councilors in Anambra State has been nullified by
the Local Government Election Tribunal.
Consequently, three Election Appeal
Tribunals have been set up by the Anambra State Judiciary to handle appeals
emanating from the nullification of the elections.The affected chairmen are
those of Awka South, Awka North, Idemili South, Ihiala and Ogbaru.
Briefing newsmen on the developments, the
Chief Registrar of the state judiciary, Mrs. N.D. Ezeani, said that the
three-member Local Government Election Tribunals, constituted after the
December 14, 2013 local government election, sat for 60 days in three centers
in Awka , Onitsha and Ekwulobia for Central Senatorial Zone, North
Senatorial Zone and South Senatorial Zone respectively.
She said that the Tribunal sitting in Awka
received 56 petitions comprising 10 for chairmanship and 46 for councillorship,
adding that at the expiration of the deadline, judgment was delivered in
10 petitions while 18 were inconclusive for want of time and 24 were struck
out, just as five were adjourned sine die. The Tribunal for Onitsha zone
received 22 petitions with only five going through full trial and judgment,
while 17 were struck out. Similarly, the Ekwulobia zone Tribunal received 41
petitions with 19 fully determined and judgment delivered in nine while nine
others were disposed of after a short hearing.
Mrs. Ezeani also told newsmen that 19
appeals have been filed after the winding up of the local government election
tribunals.
According to her, 11were filed in
Awka zone, while three and five were filed in Onitsha and Ekwulobia
respectively.
The Registrar said that parties that were
not satisfied with the judgment at the Tribunals had seven days within which to
file their notices of appeal, adding that the Appeal Tribunals would be the
final court for the local government election cases.
