=>>News- Hoodlums attack supporters as tribunal reserves judgment=<<

The Ogun State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Isabo, Abeokuta, became a theatre of confusion as suspected political thugs stormed the venue and flogged party faithful, who had converged on the court’s premises.The attackers, who were armed with canes and other weapons, descended on some notable party chieftains, who were sighted in the court’s premises.Notable party chiefs of the Peoples Democratic Party, who were attacked included a former Chairman, Yewa North Local Government, Olusoji Eweje, Sesan Orelaja and a former Women Leader of the Labour Party,  Mrs. Omolola Soyombo.The state PDP chairman, Bayo Dayo, and theNational Auditor of the party, Alhaji Wole Adeyanju, were said to have narrowly escaped being whipped by the hoodlums.The fracas began shortly after the Chairman of the three-man panel, Justice Henry Olusiyi, reserved judgment in the case, in which the governorship candidate of the PDP, Mr. Gboyega Isiaka, is challenging the election, which returned Governor Ibikunle Amosun of the All Progressives Congress for a second term in office.Lawyers, some party members and journalists waited in the court room as the Isabo court premises became a battle field while security operatives looked helpless as they were overwhelmed by the hoodlums.Men of the Department of State Services and Nigeria Police, led by a Deputy Commissioner of Police, Bello Makwashi, had to intervene to rescue the situation which persisted for about an hour.Earlier, counsel for all parties adopted their finalwritten addresses and were allowed to address the courtCounsel for the Independent National Electoral Commission, Olusina Sofola (SAN), urged the court to strike out all grounds of the petition except two, saying the grounds ran foul of section138 of the Electoral Act and as such incompetent.Sofola told the court that the reliefs sought in the substantive petition were inconsistent, noting that the only option for the court “is to throw out the whole petition.”Counsel for the APC, George Oyeniyi, who also prayed the court to dismiss the evidence of PW9 (Benjamin Ibikunle) for being an interested party, also informed the court that the petitioners had abandoned their reliefs.While telling the court that the case was hopeless, Oyeniyi explained that the initial prayers of the petitioner focused on being declared as the winner of the April 11 election while he called for a rerun in the written address.Counsel for Amosun, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), also explained that what the petitioners were attempting to do was to amend the substantive petition through the back door.The petitioners had requested the tribunal to cancel elections in nine local councils and declare Isiaka the winner of the April 11 poll or order fora free election in those contentious local councils.Meanwhile, the Director of Publicity of Gboyega Isiaka Campaign Organisation, Mr. Ifekayode Akinbode, fingered the APC supporters for the attack on PDP leaders and supporters, describing it as “barbaric and senseless”.The state Publicity Secretary of APC, Mr. Sola Lawal, refuted the claim, stressing that the party “is disciplined and has respect for the rule oflaw and individual”.Lawal added, “So, it is out of place to accuse it of using thugs to unleash terror on anyone.”

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