by Oluwatosin Fatoyinbo
Hoodlums on Monday invaded Ekiti State High Court premises to disrupt proceedings in a case challenging the eligibility of the Governor-elect, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, to contest the June 21 governorship election.The Punch reports.
However, the election has held and Fayose has since being declared the winner.
The invasion took place shortly after the judge, Justice Olusegun Ogunyemi, refused an application to set aside an order abridging the time for the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate to file his defence in the case filed on behalf of socio-political group, Ekiti-11 by a member, Mr. Femi Ajakaiye.
Justice Ogunyemi had adjourned sitting till 12 noon to prepare a ruling in a similar matter filed by the Citizen Popular Party but as he was preparing to return for the continuation of the matter, angry youths besieged the court. The judge was smuggled out of the chambers through the back door to avoid being lynched by the aggressors.
Judges, lawyers and others in court, including journalists, ran for their lives as the protesters went berserk and went after perceived opponents of the PDP. the hoodlums were said to have been angry with the partiality with which the Judge was handling the matter.
The rampaging youths, who called the trial judge all sorts of unprintable names, alleged that he was partial in handling the matter for showing interest beyond official reasons.
