The Ekiti State Election Petition Tribunal started sitting today at Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital on a violent note as thugs invaded the Ado-Ekiti High Court premises where the tribunal is scheduled to sit, wielding sticks, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons.
Owing to security concerns, the venue of the sittings of the Tribunal has been moved out of Ekiti to another location to be communicated to parties within the next 48 hours.
The application to move the sitting venue of the tribunal out of Ekiti was moved by counsel to the PDP and Prof Kolapo Olusola, Mallam Yusuf Ali SAN .
The application was premised on the invasion of the c by the thugs. The thugs, holding hundreds of canes, sticks, broken bottles and other dangerous weapons attacked lawyers, court workers, PDP supporters and passers by.
A former chairman of the drivers union, NURTW, and a former aide of the governor-elect, Kayode Fayemi were seeing leading the mob.
Among those attacked were two members of the State House of Assembly, Hon Samuel Omotoso and Hon Dayo Akinleye (Dayo Maxima).
A 3-man panel being chaired by Honourable Justice Suleiman Belgore with Justices Ebiyerin Oníkoro and Aliyu Baba Usman as members is overseeing the proceedings at the tribunal.
The tribunal was constituted by the President of the Court of Appeals in pursuant to the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2010 in respect to the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and its candidate, Professor Kolapo Olusola challenging the outcome of the 14th of July 2018 Governorship Election in the state and the declaration of the All Progressives Congress, APC and its candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi as the winner of the election.
In his inaugural address, the chairman of the tribunal, Justice Belgore assured the public of the tribunal’s fairness to all parties and urged journalists to report proceedings accurately.
Justice Belgore also implored law enforcement agents to be fully alert and conscious of their operations.
The tribunal is expected to deliver its judgement within the next 180 in line with Section 258 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Section 134 sub-section 2 of the Electoral Act, 2010.
