Tensions flared in Abuja on Monday as protesters gathered at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) House, demanding the immediate return of the Benue State Local Government Election Petition Tribunal to its home state.
The demonstrators, enraged by the tribunal’s relocation to Abuja, urged legal practitioners to boycott proceedings if hearings continued outside Benue.
Their outrage followed a Federal High Court order in Makurdi, issued last Friday, restraining the tribunal from sitting outside the state.
The tribunal is currently overseeing disputes arising from the October 5, 2024, Benue State council elections, with 93 petitions filed by aggrieved candidates from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on October 17, 2024.
The decision to relocate the tribunal to Abuja came after Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia raised security concerns and advised residents to steer clear of tribunal venues in Makurdi, Gboko, and Otukpo.
In a bid to maintain order, the governor also imposed a ban on protests, unauthorized gatherings, and commercial activities around tribunal locations.
“To ensure law and order, all protests, unauthorized assemblies, and business activities near tribunal venues are strictly prohibited,” Alia declared, warning that violators would face legal consequences.
Amid the growing dispute, the tribunal’s presiding judge, Justice R.K. Egbe, announced an indefinite suspension of all plans to hold proceedings outside Benue State, pending the resolution of the legal challenge.
With the tribunal’s future location still in limbo, proceedings remain adjourned indefinitely.