The Kogi off-cycle governorship election petition tribunal, constituted by the president of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Bolna’an-Dongban, is set to begin sitting on Saturday, an official has disclosed.

David Umar-Mike, the tribunal secretary, disclosed this to journalists in Lokoja on Thursday.

The tribunal secretary said: “By God’s grace, the tribunal will be sitting this Saturday, November 25. We will take exparte motions; this is because all we have at hand right now are the exparte motions that will be taken on that Saturday.

“But the work proper may take a few more days because counsels will have to go and start looking for documents at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the rest of them before they file their various petitions.”

He said the constitution of the election tribunal was in line with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and the Electoral Act (as amended).

He said the tribunal registry has since opened for business at the state High Court of Justice complex, Lokoja.

The November 11 election saw Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) emerge as the winner with 446,237 votes, while his closest rival, Murtala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), garnered 259,052 votes.

(NAN)