The National Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal sitting in Enugu on Monday granted exparte applications for substituted services on Deputy Senate President, Chief Ike Ekweremadu, and eight other members of the Peoples Democratic Party declared winners of the February 16 elections.
The Chairman of the tribunal, Justice C. H. Ahuchaogu, after hearing the application, ordered the petitioners/applicants to serve the respondents through the chairman or any principal officer of the PDP in the state.
Earlier, counsel to the petitioners/applicants, Ochiagha Uzor, who held the brief of Sunday Ameh (SAN), told the tribunal that it had been difficult to serve the various respondents with the processes.
Uzor said the respondents could not be cited at their known addresses, hence the application to serve them through substituted means.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that those to be served through substituted means are Senator Chukwuka Utazi, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani, Pat Asadu, Chief Toby Okechukwu and Okey Marthins.
Others are Denis Amadi, Offor Chukwuegbo and John Nnaji.
The petitioners/applicants are Juliet Ibekaku-Nwagwu, Eugene Odo, Ikechukwu Ugwuegede, Chief Lawrence Eze, Martins Ilo and Jonathan Aniekezie.
Others are Joseph Mmamel, Nelson Arum and Okwudili Nwafor, all of the All Progressives Congress.