There was a pandemonium at the High Court Road, area of Akure, Ondo State, as the supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party engaged in free for all, on Tuesday,
The fight took place outside the Ondo State High Court Complex, venue of the Ondo State Election Petitions Tribunal. Some of the supporters were reportedly injured in the clash.
According to an eyewitness, residents and the shop owners around the vicinity had to run for their lives when the political supporters freely used dangerous weapons to inflict bodily harm on one another in the violence which lasted for almost one hour, vehicular movement ceased around the area for the period which the fight lasted.
This happened when the election petition tribunal held its inaugural sitting on the petition filed by the candidate of the PDP in the October 10 governorship election, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede, who is challenging the victory of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, of the APC.
It was gathered that a man, identified as Sunday Oladunmoye, was badly injured during the clash. He was described to be a driver of one of the PDP counsels at the tribunal, Mr. Sola Oke.
It took the intervention of the military men and other security agencies for the situation to be brought under control.
Earlier, while inaugurating the three-man panel, the Chairman, Justice Umar Abubakar, in a warning to the panelists said, “There should be no communication, be it official or private with any member of the tribunal. All means of communication should be channeled through the Registrar. Whatever relationship with any member before now should not be exhibited throughout the sitting.”
While assuring the panel of the necessary cooperation needed, the Counsel for the APC, Chief Lateef Fagbemi, as well as that of Jegede, Mr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, said no time would be wasted during the sitting.
Meanwhile the tribunal has dismissed two, out of the three petitions filed by the political parties and their candidates contesting the results of the October 10 Election. The parties affected by the tribunal’s decision are All People’s Party and the Action Alliance.
Their petitions were dismissed for non-filing of the pre-trial forms. The tribunal consequently awarded N100,000 cost against the petitioners in favour of each set of respondents.
With this development, the only petition before the tribunal is the one filed by Eyitayo Jegede, the PDP candidate, who is asking the tribunal to nullify Governor Akeredolu’s victory.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
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