Kogi Election: Tribunal adjourns sitting to enable parties sort out documents

The Kogi State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Tuesday adjourned sitting until April 13 in the petition brought by the former state Governor, Captain Idris Wada of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The adjournment was for parties joined in the suit to count and sort out documents, which the petitioner said it relied upon to prove his petition.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Wada had sued Governor Yahaya Bello in the tribunal on the ground that his election did not follow due process as laid down by the law.
Also joined in the suit by Wada were the All Progressives Congress and the Independent National Electoral Commission.
However, Justice Halima Muhammad, the tribunal Chairman, adjourned the petition when she saw that the figure in the document schedule was not tallying with the document before the tribunal.
The judge said it was necessary to adjourn the matter since the parties had informed the tribunal that they were yet to complete the sorting-out and cross-checking of documents before the tribunal.
Muhammad then ordered the parties to use April 11 and 12 to sort out every issue on the document the petitioner had presented before the tribunal.
She said the tribunal could not move ahead or make any progress in the petition unless the documents were sorted out.
Counsel to the petitioner, Chris Uche (SAN), had earlier told the tribunal that they were unable to finish the sorting out and pleaded for more time in order to allow them complete the process.
Uche informed the tribunal that what was remaining was a small portion of the document.
Also, Counsel to the three respondents had earlier informed the tribunal that it was necessary to do the comparison of document within the parties if progress must be made.
Mahmoud Magagi (SAN) is the Counsel to Alhaji Bello; Akinlolu Olujimi (SAN) is the Counsel to the APC and Mr Alex Izinyon (SAN) iss Counsel to INEC.
Meanwhile, the tribunal had also adjourned hearing in the petition brought by the Labour Party until April 6 and April 7, while the petition brought by the All Progressives Grand Alliance had been adjourned until April 11 and 12.
NAN.