Justice-Nigeria - Chairperson of the FCT Election Petition Tribunal, Hajiya Rahmatu Gulma, yesterday warned journalists covering cases in the tribunal against misrepresentation of facts that are capable of misleading the public. The chairperson gave the warning when her attention was drawn to a report in a national daily which stated that '20 invalid votes recorded for the PDP at Manderegi Polling Unit were discovered by the tribunal'. During the resumed hearing of a petition brought before the tribunal by Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), challenging the electoral victory of the current Abaji Area Council Chairman, Alhaji Musa Yahaya Mohammed of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), counsel to the PDP, Chief Karina Tunya, drew the attention of members of the tribunal to a newspaper report, adding that at no time did members of the tribunal discover any invalid votes.

Chief Karinya urged the tribunal to caution journalists against false reports that run contrary to the interest of parties in the case.

Earlier, the tribunal chairperson said the presentation of some electoral materials before them by Abaji INEC Officer does not in any way translate into discovery of invalid votes by the tribunal, adding that it is dangerous for journalists to misconstrue facts at the tribunal.

'At this stage of trial, the opinion of any witness who gives evidence in court does not become a decision of the court automatically. So, it will be wrong to say the tribunal discovers invalid votes at a particular polling unit when the matter is ongoing,' The tribunal head said.

She also warned that henceforth, any journalist who fails to gather accurate information will be barred from covering proceedings in the court and asked reporters to feel free to approach the tribunal's registry for clarifications in areas that appear unclear to them.

Abdulkadir Y. Abdullahi

Daily Trust/07/04/2011