The All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate in the 2015 Benue South Senatorial election, Dan Onjeh has alleged that former Senate President, David Mark attempted to delay justice by preventing court bailiffs from serving him summons to appear in court.
Recall that the former Senate President had defeated Onjeh during the 2015 Benue South Senatorial election.
Following his defeat, Onjeh had approached a Court of Appeal to set aside the decision of an Election Tribunal which affirmed Mark as the winner of the election. But tribunal again, dismissed Onjeh’s appeal for filling out of time.
However, Onjeh in a statement he personally signed and made available to DAILY POST, maintained that the Benue South has no representative at the upper legislative chambers, adding that the voice of the Idoma nation has been silent long enough.
Onjeh said, “Being dissatisfied with the ruling of the Election Petition Tribunal, which struck out my petition, I approached the Court of Appeal to set aside the decision of the lower court, and order the trial of my petition.
“We filed our Notice of Appeal on the same day of the said ruling, June 30, 2016, and by July 4, 2016, the Court Record had been transmitted from the Tribunal to the Court of Appeal Makurdi. Consequently, service was attempted on David Mark, at his resident in Otukpo, all efforts in this direction was to no avail.
“Although, INEC, and the PDP have since been served, but, being wary of the very limited time left to the effluxion of the mandatory 180 days constitutionally provided for the hearing and determination of Election Petition, we immediately filed a motion seeking an Oder for substituted service on David Mark, with all the court processes.
“Accordingly, the Court of Appeal granted our prayers on July 8, 2016, and ordered that David Mark be served with the Notice of Appeal, Court Record, and our Brief of Argument at his office in the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.
“The Bailiff left Makurdi for Abuja to serve Mark, as soon as the enrolled Order was ready, on the same day of the ruling on our motion by the Court of Appeal. Upon arriving the National Assembly Complex, another futile attempt to serve Mark was made at about 5 pm, on Friday, July 8, 2016.
“Having been kept abreast of the development, we took it for granted that the failure to serve Mark could be attributed to the fact that the day was a Friday, and also the timing. But, to our greatest shock, when the Bailiff went back to Mark’s office yesterday, Monday, July 11, 2016, at the Senate Wing, Fourth Floor, Room 4.26, the place was under lock and key, while all other adjoining offices were opened and accessible, as a result of this strange discovery.
“The Bailiff rushed down to the Reception to inquire further, and he was told that the office has been locked since April, 2016.
“To say the least, this is appalling! Even the privileged few of the Benue South indigenes cannot boast of access to our Senatorial Office, let alone the oppressed majority. It is clear that we, the people of Benue South, do not have a representative in the Senate, more so, our voice as a people has for long been completely silenced in the red chamber.”
When DAILY POST contacted the Chief Press Secretary to David Mark, Paul Mumeh, he dismissed Onjeh’s allegation, saying that the former Senate President was too busy to respond to what he termed orchestrated report emanating from Onjeh. He said ‘’ Do you think we should always respond to such malicious, wicked and unsubstantial allegation?’’ he asked.
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