EKITI State
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused Chief Judge Justice Ayodeji
Daramola, of siding with the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Lawyers representing the APC, have
called for the relocation of the Election Petition Tribunal outside
Ado-Ekiti, because of insecurity.
Former Minister of Justice Chief
Akinlolu Olujimi (SAN), in a letter to the President of the Court of
Appeal Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, said justice cannot be served in an
atmosphere of intimidation, as witnessed during the attacks on courts
in Ado-Ekiti last week.
The Ekiti PDP alleged that the CJ is
backing a secret plan to prevent Governor-elect Ayodele Fayose, from
being inaugurated on October 16.
The party, in a statement by its
Publicity Secretary, Kola Oluwawole, said the chief judge deliberately
amplified what happened in the High Court, Ado-Ekiti last week Monday
and Thursday, blaming it on Fayose and shutting down courts to achieve a
pre-determined political agenda.
Oluwawole, who said fracas in political
cases during court proceedings were not new in the country, cited
instances of the Election Tribunal sittings in Ondo State that was
disrupted on March 18, 2013, when supporters of the defunct Action
Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and Labour Party (LP) clashed with four
persons being severely injured.
He also said on January 23, 2012,
supporters of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Action Congress of
Nigeria (ACN) clashed at the premises of the governorship election
petitions tribunal in Lokoja, Kogi State, with one person shot and three
others injured.
The statement added: “The same also
happened on January 6, 2012, when persons were injured in a commotion
between the supporters of Governor Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State and
his predecessor, Alhaji Akwe Doma, at the Court of Appeal in Makurdi.
“In all the three instances mentioned
above, courts in the states were not shut while no judge came out of his
chamber to ‘warn’ the party supporters.”
On the alleged assault on Justice John
Adeyeye last Thursday, he said it was reported that the judge told
Fayose, who came to attend the tribunal sitting, to warn his thugs.
“That reportedly took place at the court premises, not inside Justice Adeyeye’s chamber or court.
“Firstly, Justice Adeyeye reportedly
addressed law-abiding Nigerians, who came to the court to observe
proceedings as thugs. Isn’t that wrong?
“Secondly, Fayose was in the court
premises, not inside any courtroom. Meaning that Justice Adeyeye came
out of his chamber or court to address people who were possibly being
unruly at the court.
“Now we wish to ask: Is it the duty of a judge to check unruly crowd in the court premises? Definitely no!
“Thirdly, if indeed Justice Adeyeye was
assaulted by the ‘unruly crowd,’ was he assaulted because they knew he
was a judge? Was Justice Adeyeye carrying identification as a judge on
his head? Definitely no!
“Most importantly, who says the APC
government of Dr. Kayode Fayemi could not have planted some hoodlums in
the crowd and the hoodlums set by the state government were the ones who
assaulted the judge?
“In Ondo, Kogi and Benue states that I mentioned above, did the chief judge of any of the state shut down the courts?
“Obviously, the Ekiti Chief Judge shut
down courts for reasons other than what happened in the Ado-Ekiti High
Court premises last week Monday and Thursday. Only Justice Daramola can
tell Nigerians why he shut down the courts in Ekiti because even when
gunshots boomed in Lokoja on January 23, 2012, the Kogi State Chief
Judge did not shut the courts,” the statement claimed.
On last Monday’s incident, the PDP said neither Fayose nor the PDP as a party ordered anyone to invade the court.
It said all the efforts geared towards
stopping Fayose from being inaugurated have failed “and only God knows
who will get burnt by the fire ignited by those who were rejected by
Ekiti people, but wanted to retain power, using the judiciary.”
The party insisted on a thorough probe of the Ekiti judicial crisis to bring those found culpable to book.
Lawyers seek tribunal’s relocation
Lawyers representing the All
Progressives Congress (APC) in the Ekiti governorship election petition
have requested the shift of the Triunal’s sitting from Ado-Ekiti
following attacks on courts last week in the state capital.
According to them, the incidents, in
which Governor-elect Ayo Fayose has been indicted, have made it
difficult for justice to be served without fair or favour.
In a letter of request “as a matter of
urgency” written to President of the Court of Appeal Justice Zainab
Bulkachuwa, by Chief Akinlolu Olujimi (SAN) on behalf of himself and two
other senior lawyers Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) and Oluwarotimi Akeredolu
(SAN) – all representing the petitioners — the lawyers said “the citadel
of justice has been turned into a war front” given what happened and
the statements credited to Fayose thereafter where he said among others
that “nobody, no matter how highly-placed, would remove me cheaply.”
Olujimi after recalling how the counsel
were attacked by thugs that invaded the court premises and how a judge
was physically assaulted, said “judges, lawyers, witnesses and
stakeholders are not safe. In such atmosphere, justice can never be
done. Our commitment as professionals in the temple of justice does not
require us to knowingly expose our lives to the danger of annihilation.
We do not believe that the system should knowingly expose any judge,
lawyer and witnesses to obvious risks.”
In the letter dated September 26, the
former Attorney General of the Federation and Minster of Justice, said
there is a precedent if the petition had to be moved out of Ado Ekiti.
He recalled that the latest was the movement in 2001 of the Borno State
Governorship Election petition to Abuja due to the security situation
there.
The case is slated for hearing on October 14. The nation
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