Ekiti guber: Tension mounts as S-Court rules on Oni’s petition today

There is tension in the city of  Ado Ekiti,  Ekiti State capital, as the people of the state await today’s judgment of the Supreme Court over the suit instituted by former governor of the state, Mr.  Segun Oni, urging the apex court to set aside the Court of Appeal’s judgement of October 15, 2010, that removed him from office.

The Court of Appeal, Ilorin Division, had in its decision on the matter set aside the judgement of the lower tribunal which  upheld Oni’s election as the validly elected governor of the state in 2007.
The court in its decision ordered a re-run election which was held in 2009
However, after living office, Oni,  not satisfied with the decision of the court, approached the Ado Ekiti division of the court, alleging bias and favoritism on the part of the suspended president of the court, Justice Ayo Salami and the members of the tribunal.
Specifically, Oni is seeking an order setting aside the decision of the Court of Appeal, Ado Ekiti division delivered on Monday,  February 27, 2012.
He,is equally seeking an  order  directing  a fresh Panel of the Court of Appeal to hear and determine the aforesaid appeal in (ii) above de novo.
An order directing the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly to take over the governance of Ekiti State, pending the hearing and determination of the appeal in (ii) above by the Court of Appeal.
Ekiti CP speaks
On his preparation for the judgement, Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Sotonye Wakama, said he had a meeting with the leaders of the two  parties where they promised to caution their supporters against fomenting trouble before, during and after the judgement.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Victor Babayemi, said: “We are monitoring the situation very closely.
“We invited all the leaders of the political parties on Tuesday, and it was agreed  that they will talk to their supporters and party members in view of today’s judgement to ensure that there is peace in the state.
“Our intelligence unit had been sent out to gather information from the public. We have also deployed our men to all strategic positions across the state to forestall breakdown of law and order that may arise as a result of the judgement. So, we don’t foresee crisis before, during and after the judgement.”
Ekiti ACN chair hopeful
In his response to the pending court verdict, the Chairman of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Ekiti chapter, Chief  Jide Awe, who assured that his party members would not forment trouble, said his members were  not in the habit of formenting trouble, even at a time when situations were more grievous than this.
He, however, expressed confidence in the judiciary, saying his members would not involved in any action that would desecrate the temple of justice, just as he enthused that the party would be victorious in today’s judgement.
Oni and other PDP leaders had at various times clarified that the suit was not intended to ridicule the judiciary but to expose alleged bias in the judgement that ousted him from office.
Oni believed that he would be vindicated in the end.