JANG FAILS TO STOP TALLEN'S PETITION AT TRIBUNAL

Efforts by Plateau State governor, Jonah Jang and the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), to get the election petition tribunal in Plateau to dismiss the application filed by the Labour Party governorship candidate, Dame Pauline Tallen received a setback on Friday, as the tribunal insisted that the matter be heard.

The INEC had filed a motion urging the tribunal to dismiss Tallen's petition on the grounds that the application for pre-hearing earlier filed by her was by motion on notice and not motion ex-parte.

Arguing the position of his client, Counsel to INEC, Barrister Stephen Ibyem told the tribunal Chairman, Justice Joseph Jella: 'If the application of the petition is supposed to be through a motion on notice, and it came by motion ex-parte, then this application deserves to be dismissed he told the tribunal.'

On his part, counsel to Governor Jonah David Jang, Israel Olurundare (SAN) at the Thursday sitting stated that he was in support of INEC's position on Tallen's pre-hearing application. 'As Counsel to the governor who is a party to the case at hand, I am in full support of the position of INEC on the application of Mrs. Tallen on pre-hearing of her petition before the tribunal', he said.

However, counsel to Pauline Tallen, Musa Ibrahim through Ibrahim Jam Jam gave a counter motion against the position of INEC and called on the tribunal to dismiss the application of INEC.

Ruling on the motion, Hon Justice Jella accepted the plea of counsel to Tallen, and dismissed INEC's motion and upheld the application of Tallen for the tribunal to commence hearing on the petition tomorrow.