GEORGE OLADEHINDE SHOREMI J.C.A. (Delivering the Leading Judgment): This is an appeal against the Ruling of the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers state delivered on 29/11/07. The tribunal dismissed the petition of the Appellant as grossly incompetent and lacking in merit.
The brief facts are that:
The Petitioner/Appellant (who is hereinafter referred to as the Appellant) is a registered political party which sponsored a candidate in the 14/4/07 Rivers State governorship election. By a petition filed by G.U. Ukachukwu Esq. of A.A. Owuru and Co., the Appellant challenged the return of the 4th Respondent as winner of the election. The same G.U. Ukachukwu Esq. also filed all the subsequent processes in the petition for the Appellant.
On 4/7/07 the petition came up for pre-hearing, but neither the Appellant nor its counsel was present. Consequently, on the application of the Respondents the election Tribunal dismissed the petition under paragraph 3(11) (a) of the…