18th September, 2015
Scores of supporters of Segun Adewale a.k.a. Aeroland and Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola a.k.a. Yayi, Friday morning besieged the Ikeja Magistrates’ Court venue of the Lagos National Assembly Election Tribunal where the judgment in the petition challenging Adeola’s election will being delivered.
Segun Adewale is challenging the declaration of Senator Solomon Adeola by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as winner of the April 28 Lagos-West Senatorial election.
He had in his petition prayed the tribunal to nullify the declaration of Senator Adeola as winner of the election.
After hearing arguments from all parties in the petition, the three-man tribunal headed by Justice Sylvanus Oriji, fixed Friday, 18 September for judgment.
Our reporter who is covering the judgment observed that supporters of both parties were already in the court premises as at 7am.
The courtroom was not opened as at then, prompting the supporters to hang around the premises.
By 8:15am when the courtroom was opened, many of the supporters struggled to rush in and in the process broke down the courtroom door.
Security men attached to the court had to send many of them who could not get a seat, out of the courtroom.
Heavy police presence was also observed outside the courtroom where roads leading to the venue of the court premises was cordoned off.
The tribunal began sitting at exactly 9:10am.
Neither Aeroland nor Yayi were in court as at the time of filing this report.
Besides Aeroland and Yayi’s matter, the tribunal is expected to also deliver judgments today in two other petitions challenging the elections of two members of the Lagos House of Assembly election.
More details later.