The President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban -Mensem, has relocated the Kogi State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal from Lokoja to Abuja.
A statement today, December 6, by the Secretary of the Tribunal, David Umar Mike, said that the Tribunal’s sittings would now be at the National Judicial Institute on Umar Yar’Adua Way, Abuja.
It called on litigants to take note of the change in venue.
The statement was however silent on the reason behind the relocation, but a top source at the Tribunal hinted that the step was necessitated by “security reasons.”
The source said that members of staff of the Tribunal have been attacked on several occasions in Lokoja.
The source said: “Just last Monday, tribunal officials were attacked on the way to the office.
“Armed men just pounced on the officials. “They robbed them of everything. They took away all the documents that were in the car.
“Copies of petitions and personal belongings, official receipts, processes like subpoena, official stamps, were all stolen.
“Generally, thugs are frustrating the job and the lives of our officials are at stake, making it difficult to work there.”
The candidate of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), Ahmed Usman Ododo had won the November 11 off-cycle election, with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate, Muritala Ajaka coming second and PDP candidate, Senator Dino Melaye coming a distant third.
