Protest In Court Over Alleged Disbandment Of Osun Election Tribunal

Members of the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State are
protesting on the premises of the Osun State High Court following
the alleged disbandment of the Governorship Election Petition
Tribunal hearing matters arising from the recently concluded
governorship poll in the state.

Scores of PDP members while staging a peaceful protest in the
court premises carried placards with the inscriptions such as ‘Why
the sudden disbandment of the panel?’ Constitute a new panel
immediately now?’ No more Salamigate in Osun’ Save our democracy
from rogues’”

They said that the alleged disbandment would have a negative
effect on the case of the petitioner.

A former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Osun
State, Mr Niyi Owolade, who is one of the counsels for the
governorship candidate of the PDP in Osun State, Senator Ademola
Adeleke, said the disbandment of the panel ought to have been done
simultaneously with the constitution of a new one.

Adeleke’s counsel who raised the alarm while addressing
journalists in front of the courtroom where the panel usually sat
said the dissolution of the three-man panel headed by Justice T. A.
Igoche, would adversely affect the prosecution of the case.

The counsel said that they were worried because they filed an
exparte application for substituted service on the candidate of the
All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola and the APC who
he claimed had been evading service.

He, however, said that members and chairman of the tribunal were
nowhere to be found when the application was supposed to be heard
today.

He said, “We were told by court officials that the panel has
been disbanded. But what is more surprising is that a new panel has
not been put in place. It should be done simultaneously.

“Our 180 days have started counting since October 16 and final
judgment is expected to be given in this petition before April 16,
2019.”

Our correspondent observed that the venue of the tribunal was
locked and the court officials told journalists that there would be
no sitting but no reason was given.