The Ekiti governorship election petition tribunal has moved its sittings to Abuja, owing to security concerns raised by counsels to both petitioners and respondents.
This is following an oral application by the counsel for the petitioners, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the July 14th governorship election in the state, Professor Kolapo Olubunmi Olusola, Mr Adebayo Adelodun.
Adelodun had lamented the insecurity at the inaugural sitting of the tribunal, last Monday, pointing out that the violence at the Ekiti State judiciary complex, unleashed by armed party faithful, which had invaded the complex, was not helpful for a conducive sitting.
All the parties in the matter, namely the representatives of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); All Progressives Congress (APC) and Dr Kayode Fayemi, had agreed with Adelodun’s application, without any objection.
Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Sulaiman Belgore, had ruled in favour of the application, on Monday, but had announced then that the tribunal would make the chosen venue known to the parties in 48 hours.
The tribunal arrived at the decision of Abuja, which was made known on Wednesday vide a hearing notice made available to parties in the matter before the tribunal.
In the hearing notice dated Wednesday, 19th September, 2018, the tribunal scheduled hearing in the petition by PDP and Professor Olusola for Monday, September 24th, 2018 at High Court 17, Apo FCT High Court, Abuja.
However, a member of the legal team of the petitioners and Legal Adviser of the PDP, Mr Sunday Olowolafe, who confirmed the shift of venue to newsmen, stated that the hearing would now be on Tuesday next week.
Meanwhile, counsels representing PDP and Olusola in the matter have accused INEC of not cooperating with them in their quest to have a fair access to electoral materials during inspection as ordered by the tribunal.
One of the PDP counsels, Nurudeen Adegboye, who made the allegation, claimed that INEC ought to have granted separate access to his team and that of the respondents.
Adegboye said: “The lNEC have not been cooperating with us very well on the urgent need for us to have separate sessions with the respondents, as to checking and assessing the electoral materials.
“We got our court orders separately to come for our inspection. The respondents also got their own order separately for the same exercise.
“Instead of INEC to set up a separate inspection for us for us to have our own separately, so that either party would do its inspection without any inch, INEC decided that we should have a joint inspection for the exercise.
“As a result of this, the respondents have been frustrating us, bringing all sorts of unreasonable demands and not allow us to move at our pace. But time is of essence as we are going to open our case and defend it first. We don’t have the luxury of time but the respondents have all the time and can take their time.”
Reacting to the allegations, Public Relations Officer of INEC in Ekiti State, Mr. Taiwo Gbadegesin, said: “The bottom line is that the INEC has been so fair to both parties. The schedule is that the commission should make the materials available and we have been doing that.
“The arrangement as to having access to the materials has been left to the two parties. All along, it has been smooth with the joint session. If there is any disagreement now, they have to go back and re-arrange on how to do the inspection between themselves.
“Our own part is to provide the materials at any time they ask for them.”