EKITI POLITICS:Violence in Court as Hearing Begins on Case between Group and Fayose

The premises of the Ado-Ekiti High Court yesterday turned into a theatre of violence, as some youths suspected to be political thugs invaded the court and disrupted the trial of the governor-elect, Mr. Ayodele Fayose on his eligibility to contest the June 21 governorship election in the state.

Even the trial Judge, Justice Segun Ogunyemi, narrowly escaped being lynched by the irate youths over what they called desperation for expeditious hearing of the case before Fayose would be sworn in on October 16.

During the fracas, which lasted for several hours, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Chairman of Ado West Local Government Development Authority, Mr Sunday Ibitoye and one of the plaintiffs, Mr Adeniyi Ajakaye were beaten and chased out of the court promises, thereby leading to the abrupt termination of the hearing of the case.

The protesting youths suspected to be hired by a particular party in the case, who brandished dangerous weapons such as clubs, cudgels and stones, neither allowed Justice Ogunyemi to commence the hearing of the case nor give adjournment date, as they bombarded the court in commando-style, which made court officials, including lawyers to run for cover and dear life.

It would be recalled that a socio-political pressure group, E-11 and one Adeniyi Ajakaye, are challenging the eligibility of Fayose, who was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to contest the election on the basis of his impeachment on October 16, 2006 by the then House of Assembly over alleged gross misconduct.

The trial, which had earlier begun peacefully in the morning by the presiding Judge, later turned violent, after the Judge had dismissed the application brought by Fayose, challenging the jurisdictional powers of the court to hear the case.
The trial judge also struck out the application brought by the defendant, which sought the reversal of the earlier ruling delivered by Justice Ogunyemi, which granted the plaintiffs’ request for the abridgement of days by which the defendants must reply to issues raised in the substantive suit.

After the early morning ruling, Justice Ogunyemi had adjourned till 12noon for the commencement of the hearing of the substantive suit and entertainment of other pending issues, when some youths, who had hanged around the court premises despite the heavy presence of anti-riot policemen, had besieged the court and chased out the occupants.

Sensing danger, policemen who had tried in vain to put the irate youths under control, had gone to the inner chambers of the court, where Justice Ogunyemi was preparing for the afternoon session and ferried him through the backdoor to an undisclosed office to prevent being molested by the visibly livid youths.

The rampaging youths, who called the trial judge all sorts of unprintable names, claimed that Justice Ogunyemi must have allegedly taken bribes for exhibiting what they called desperation for expeditious trial of the case.

The youths were also irked by the favourable ruling that went the way of the plaintiffs, describing it as a conspiracy against the governor-elect.

However, delivering his ruling on the jurisdictional power of the court to try the case, Justice Ogunyemi, said the PDP and Fayose failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt the reasons why the court cannot hear the substantive suit.

He also said the ruling given by him, abridging the days by which the defendants must reply to the issues contained in the substantive suit is functus officio, having been painstakingly determined by the court, saying the judgment in not a contravention of the Section 32 of the 1999 constitution, contrary to the position canvassed by the PDP.

Unfortunately, the judge could not come out to continue the second phase of the case based on the disruption of the court process by the irate youths.
No adjournment date fixed for the hearing.

THISDAY