The Chairman of the Cross River State Elections Petition Tribunal, Justice Olukayode Adeniyi, has assured all that the tribunal will be fair to all parties in the case.
Justice Adeniyi, who stated this in Calabar during the inaugural sitting of the panel in the company of Justice ZU Modibbo (Member 1) and Justice Eva Okoronkwo ( Member 11), said: “The tribunal is not a battleground and we will discharge their duties to the best of their abilities as well as proceed seamlessly and without delay.
“We shall discharge our duties to the best of our abilities and always remain mindful of the oath we took.
“We assure all litigants of a fair trial and we will not entertain any form of interference from any quarter and shall report any attempt to interfere with the tribunal to the security agencies,” he said.
He added that the tribunal is conscious of time and sought the cooperation of the bar and bench in the discharge of their assignment.
Also speaking, a member of the inner bar, Murtala Abdul-Rasheed, SAN, said the Nigerian public and the international community will be looking at how the tribunal carries out its assignment.
In his remarks, the chairman of the Calabar Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association Attah Ochinke pledged that his members will exhibit professional candour throughout the proceedings, adding “Our members will take their jobs seriously and will assist the tribunal to arrive at just pronouncements.”
