The Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) on Thursday described the suit by the PDP challenging its power as a “nullity”.
Chief Garba Pwul, SAN, PLASIEC Counsel, told Plateau High Court Vacation Judge, Justice Ishaku Kunda, when the case came up for hearing.
The PDP in Plateau dragged the PLASIEC for allegedly charging council election candidates huge sums of money to contest the State forth coming polls.
PLASIEC, which fixed the council polls for Oct. 9 allegedly charged chairmanship candidates of participating political parties N1million each while councillorship candidates would pay N600,000 each to be eligible.
Pwul informed the court of a fresh motion the commission filed on Aug 4 notifying the court that the case is not a vocation one and should be adjourned till after the vacation.
“My Lord, even though at our last sitting, we all had agreed to adjourn this case for today (Aug. 5) to take our Preliminary Objection (PO) and the applicant’s Originating Summon, I doubt we can continue considering the motion we filled yesterday, Aug. 4 before your lordship.
“This motion is seeking your lordship’s permission to discontinue and adjourn the case till after the Vocation because this case is not a vocation case.
“We have on record cases which were handled during vocation like this and were later declared null and void, and we don’t want this case to suffer similar fate but should be adjourned till after the vacation to be on the safe side, ” Pwul argued.
He went on to say, “secondly, we have just been served here in court with the reply to our P.O by the Plaintiff Counsel and would need time to go through it even though we are not entitle to a reply on point of law.”
Responding, PDP Counsel, Mr Edward Pwajok, SAN, expressed surprise over the commission’s fresh motion seeking for adjournment to after the Courts’ vocation.
“My Lord, we are taking aback by this motion filed by PLASIEC, a copy of which was just served on us at 8.58 a.m. this morning.
”We have not even study it to know what exactly they are talking about for us to reply appropriately.
“Just as they need time to go through our reply to their PO, we also need time to go through the new motion they have filed before your lordship.
“But we wouldn’t mind if your lordship can oblige us time even to come back before you tomorrow since we are ready to study, reply the motion and serve them today,” Pwajok pleaded.
Justice Kunda, however, directed that the two sides should study the motions they served on each other and do the needful before returning before him on the next adjourned date.
He then adjourned the case until Aug 11 for hearing of the fresh motion filed on Aug 3, the PO and the Originating Summon.
The Plateau High Courts have proceeded on a long vacation, to resume on Sept 13.
The State Chief Judge, Justice Yakubu Dakwak, had appointed Justice Ishaku Kunda of High Court V as the Vacation Judge.
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