Date: 2019-04-04

Kwara State Governorship and State Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal sitting in Ilorin Thursday cautions lawyers and parties to be wary of persons who might be parading themselves as agents for fraudulent purposes.

The tribunal chairman, Justice Bassey Efiong Ikpme said this in his address at the inaugural sitting of the tribunal in Ilorin.

"If any person or group comes to tell you that he or she is our agents for fraudulent purposes, please don’t believe it for we don't have such agents," he said.

Other members of the tribunal include Justices Ngozi Okoaisabor and Mariya Ismail.

He said "we shall do our work without any form of bias".

He said the assignment was "time specific" assuring that the tribunal will complete its work on the petition filed before it within the time lag.

Justice Ikpme charged counsel to be ready to work within the time frame allowed for the tribunal to complete it assignment.

In another development, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the just concluded governorship election in the state, AbdulRasaq Atunwa, are challenging the qualification of governor-elect Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest the March 9 governorship election.

In an ex parte-application, counsel to the petitioner, Abdulwahab Bamidele who held brief for Paul Isokoro (SAN) had sought the tribunal's leave to serve the 1st and 2nd respondents through "substituted means".

He asked the tribunal for a leave to enable him serve the respondents with the "petitions and processes on the tribunal’s notice board within the premises of the state high court complex Ilorin, his last known address at No 1, Abdulkadir road GRA, Ilorin and APC’S Secretariat at Asa Road, GRA, Ilorin.

Similar ex-parte- motion was filled by counsel to Action Alliance, A, A Ibrahim who is also challenging the qualification of the governor-elect.

The tribunal latter rose to observe 10 minutes break after entertaining application by counsel seeking the tribunal's permission to serve the 1st and 2nd respondents through a "substituted means.

In his ruling on the applications, the tribunal's chairman said the tribunal "acknowledged" that the purpose of the application was to bring to the notices of the respondents the "pendency" of petitions before the tribunal for which they were granted.

He therefore adjourned the sitting till April 15, 2019 for hearing.