As election tribunal adjourns case till Friday, Saturday
Written by:
Tunde Ogunesan
Supporters
of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Accord Party, on Tuesday had
a clash outside the premises of the Magistrate Court in Iyaganku,
Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, while the tribunal proceedings were still
ongoing.
Supporters of both parties were at the court premises for the tribunal sitting to support the Accord Party governorship candidate of the April 11 governorship election, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, who is the petitioner and the respondent, Governor Abiola Ajimobi, who was also the governorship candidate of APC.
An eyewitness informed Nigerian Tribune that tension brewed when Accord supporters started singing solidarity songs to spite the APC supporters, but when APC members could not withstand the insults, it generated to exchange of blows. Policemen however came to the scene to forestall further breakdown of law and order and two suspects were arrested.
The armed policemen numbering about 20 had earlier in the morning mount surveillance around the court premises from the Yoruba Tennis Club gate and by the Oke-Bola/Olubadan Stadium junction.
Traders within the court premises were seen closing their stores to protect their lives and wares.
Giving further details on how the melee started, a supporter of Accord party, Alhaji Saheed Adigun said they were at the court to observe the governorship tribunal, but were prevented from entering by the security operatives.
According to Adigun “‘So, we decided to stay outside and observe but to our surprise, some of the APC supporters started hauling abusive songs on our party and Senator Ladoja and we warned them to stop but they turned deaf ears.
“Instead, they went ahead and started throwing stones at us and it was the policemen that saved our lives. Three of our members are injured already.”
Although, Adigun did not provide any proof to back his claims, he, however, insisted that it was the APC members that attacked them at first.
A member of APC, who spoke on condition of anonymity claimed that Accord Party supporters had been threatening them and had warned them to desist from coming to the tribunal.
“We believe Accord Party must allow peace to reign and desist from attacking our members unjustly. This is a democratic era and everybody has freedom of speech and movement,” he said. has set Friday, July 31 and Saturday, August 1 for the ruling on two motions brought before it by the Oyo State governorship candidate of Accord Party, Senator Ladoja and his party, in the April 11 election.
Senator Ladoja is challenging the victory of the state governor, Senator Ajimobi before the tribunal.
The motions argued before Justices Mohammed Aliu Mayaki, Muhammadu Karaye and J.E. Ikede were filed on June 3 and 4.
At the sitting on Tuesday, 51 counsels represented the two petitioners and the four respondents.
Ladoja and Accord Party are the petitioners while Oyo State governor, Senator Ajimobi of the APC, Oyo State Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Resident Electoral Commissioner, Ambassador Rufus Akeju were listed as first, second, third and fourth respondents, respectively.
Richard Ogunwole led other 14 counsels to represent the petitioners while Wole Olanipekun also led other four counsel to represent the first respondent. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, Babatunde Aiku led other 20 counsels for the second respondent while Yusuf Ali and Professor Wahab Odewole were lead counsel in a team of nine counsel for the third and fourth respondents.
In the said motions, counsel to first, second, third and fourth respondents prayed the tribunal to discountenance the first motion because it was predicated on nothing and cannot stand. This according to Olanipekun was because the motion was not signed by counsel to Senator Ladoja, Richard Ogunwole.
In the second motion, the respondents also argued that one of the witnesses presented by the first and second petitioner was not an expert and that the tribunal should strike him out.
Justice Mayaki then adjourned the ruling on the two motions, till Friday and Saturday, to determine the competence of the tribunal and jurisdiction on the two motions.
Supporters of both parties were at the court premises for the tribunal sitting to support the Accord Party governorship candidate of the April 11 governorship election, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, who is the petitioner and the respondent, Governor Abiola Ajimobi, who was also the governorship candidate of APC.
An eyewitness informed Nigerian Tribune that tension brewed when Accord supporters started singing solidarity songs to spite the APC supporters, but when APC members could not withstand the insults, it generated to exchange of blows. Policemen however came to the scene to forestall further breakdown of law and order and two suspects were arrested.
The armed policemen numbering about 20 had earlier in the morning mount surveillance around the court premises from the Yoruba Tennis Club gate and by the Oke-Bola/Olubadan Stadium junction.
Traders within the court premises were seen closing their stores to protect their lives and wares.
Giving further details on how the melee started, a supporter of Accord party, Alhaji Saheed Adigun said they were at the court to observe the governorship tribunal, but were prevented from entering by the security operatives.
According to Adigun “‘So, we decided to stay outside and observe but to our surprise, some of the APC supporters started hauling abusive songs on our party and Senator Ladoja and we warned them to stop but they turned deaf ears.
“Instead, they went ahead and started throwing stones at us and it was the policemen that saved our lives. Three of our members are injured already.”
Although, Adigun did not provide any proof to back his claims, he, however, insisted that it was the APC members that attacked them at first.
A member of APC, who spoke on condition of anonymity claimed that Accord Party supporters had been threatening them and had warned them to desist from coming to the tribunal.
“We believe Accord Party must allow peace to reign and desist from attacking our members unjustly. This is a democratic era and everybody has freedom of speech and movement,” he said. has set Friday, July 31 and Saturday, August 1 for the ruling on two motions brought before it by the Oyo State governorship candidate of Accord Party, Senator Ladoja and his party, in the April 11 election.
Senator Ladoja is challenging the victory of the state governor, Senator Ajimobi before the tribunal.
The motions argued before Justices Mohammed Aliu Mayaki, Muhammadu Karaye and J.E. Ikede were filed on June 3 and 4.
At the sitting on Tuesday, 51 counsels represented the two petitioners and the four respondents.
Ladoja and Accord Party are the petitioners while Oyo State governor, Senator Ajimobi of the APC, Oyo State Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Resident Electoral Commissioner, Ambassador Rufus Akeju were listed as first, second, third and fourth respondents, respectively.
Richard Ogunwole led other 14 counsels to represent the petitioners while Wole Olanipekun also led other four counsel to represent the first respondent. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, Babatunde Aiku led other 20 counsels for the second respondent while Yusuf Ali and Professor Wahab Odewole were lead counsel in a team of nine counsel for the third and fourth respondents.
In the said motions, counsel to first, second, third and fourth respondents prayed the tribunal to discountenance the first motion because it was predicated on nothing and cannot stand. This according to Olanipekun was because the motion was not signed by counsel to Senator Ladoja, Richard Ogunwole.
In the second motion, the respondents also argued that one of the witnesses presented by the first and second petitioner was not an expert and that the tribunal should strike him out.
Justice Mayaki then adjourned the ruling on the two motions, till Friday and Saturday, to determine the competence of the tribunal and jurisdiction on the two motions.
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