As the Court of Appeal in Akure, Ondo State, is to deliver judgment on Wednesday, June 16, in the petition challenging the victory of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State in the October 10 governorship election, there are indications that the judgement may be shifted till another date.
The development is coming on the heels of an allegations that some forces have been mounting pressure on the panel to shift the date.
It was gathered that a senior member of the Bench was said to be liaison over the development, but it was unlcear if the chairman, Justice Orji-Abadua, has been personally reached to effect the shift.
But while reacting, the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Donald Ojogo, dismissed the reports and described it as baseless fabrication aimed at causing distraction ahead of the judgment.
He said a loyal member of APC would not be working against the emergence of Akeredolu in the suit and described the plan to shift the judgment as not true.
He said: “We don’t want to subscribe to the fact that any member of the APC would want to cut corners to undermine and possibly unseat Akeredolu because of the views he holds strongly on national issues.
“There is nothing personal in whatever the governor has said. So to remove an APC governor and enthrone PDP and achieve what? I doubt it can ever happen. The Nigerian judiciary is not that low and it cannot start with this.
“As regards whether or not the date would be shifted is at the discretion of the honourable panel which comprises eminent and distinguished jurists. We are not inclined to discussing that.”
Also reacting the PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kennedy Peretei, described the development as untrue, saying PDP will not pervert the course of justice.
Peretei said: “This is not true, there’s nothing like that from our camp here. It is the APC and Akeredolu camp that are trying to mount pressure on the panel.
“But we believe in the judges that they are capable and will do justice accordingly. We don’t need to put pressure on the judges to postpone the judgment date.
It will be recalled that Akeredolu had lately played prominent roles in checkmating the activities of herdsmen in the region by spearheading the establishment of the South-West Security Network, Amotekun.
The Appeal Panel had, two weeks ago, reserved judgment in the appeal brought before it by the candidate of the PDP in the Ooctober 10, 2020 governorship election, Eyitayo Jegede.
The three man panel, led by Justice Theresa Ngolika Orji-Abadua, gave the ruling after Jegede’s counsel, Onyeachi Ikpeazu, had presented their briefs on why Governor Akeredolu and his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, should be sacked because they were not properly nominated by their party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Counsel to Akeredolu and Aiyedatiwa, APC and INEC, Akin Olujimi, Lateef Fagbemi and Charles Edosanmwon, however, faulted all the arguments of Jegede’s counsel saying the case was a pre-election matter.
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