PDP tackles APC, police over attack on members at tribunal

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has insisted that its members were targetted for an attack on Monday at a court in Isabo, Abeokuta, where the governorship election petition tribunal began sitting in Ogun State on Monday.

The party spoke at a press conference in Abeokuta on Tuesday after the police said no such incident occurred in or around the court.

The PDP and its candidate, Oladipupo Adebutu, are challenging the return of Governor Dapo Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the 18 March governorship election.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how hoodlums suspected to be APC supporters laid siege to the court and were seen attacking some PDP members, including a former governorship aspirant of the party, Segun Showunmi, who later at a press conference condemned the attacks.

However, reacting to media reports on the incident, the APC, in a press statement signed by one of its spokespersons in Ogun, Ogunsanya Blessed, denied that its supporters attacked their PDP rivals.

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Instead, Mr Ogubsanya alleged that “nefarious plans of the PDP to overrun the tribunal” were frustrated by “the efforts of security men and women who provided adequate security at the tribunal.”

“APC, as a law-abiding party, commended the security agents for living up to expectations while urging them to continue to be vigilant in subsequent hearings.”

The spokesperson of the police in the state, Omolola Odutola, said nobody was assaulted around the court during the tribunal proceedings.

Miss Odutola, in a statement obtained by our reporter late Monday evening, said the police deployed five divisional police officers (DPOs) in and around the court premises to maintain peace during the tribunal proceedings. She also specifically denied any form of attack on Mr Showunmi.

“Today at the Election Petition Tribunal sitting at Isabo Abeokuta, it was alleged that one Mr Segun Sowunmi was assaulted by persons suspected to be hoodlums or thugs, but the appropriate information at the disposal of the Ogun State Police Command reports contrary especially with the presence of Five Divisional Police officers of Ibara, Adatan, Adigbe, on the ground, with a heavy presence of Policemen drafted by the Area Commander Metro who himself was at the Court location to ensure the Court premises were secured.

“Lawyers were all allowed entrance into the premises as no hoodlum or thugs were allowed entrance into the Court hearing. As reported, there was relative peace; no case of assault was reported during the Court Sitting, and neither was the Police aware of anyone being assaulted. In any case of assault, the assaulted person can immediately report to the nearest police station and officially complain, please,” Miss Odutola said in the statement.

However, at a press conference on Tuesday, the chairman of the PDP in the state, Sikirulahi Ogundele, insisted that some members of his party were attacked at the gate of the court.

The PDP called on the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, to look into the matter and the conduct of the police during the attacks.

Mr Ogundele accused the APC-led state government of masterminding the attacks and accused the police of lying by denying that they occurred.

“Why are the police telling lies? What is the PPRO covering for her to have uttered such a statement? The good people of Ogun State saw what happened, and they know that people were beaten to stupor! We have video clips and photographs of the incident.”

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Meanwhile, at the opening session on Monday, the chairperson of the three-member tribunal, Hamidu Kunaza, said it received four petitions, but two of them were struck out.

Mr Kunaza warned the legal teams not to mislead the court or adopt “delay tactics” in the proceedings, urging them to cooperate with the tribunal.

He then adjourned the till Tuesday13, June, for the continuation of the hearing.

Speaking with journalists after the sitting, the counsel to the petitioner, Chris Uche, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said his team would call about 120 witnesses. “Within the next four weeks, we will file these witnesses, including our expert witnesses. We are very hopeful that this case will be dealt with expeditiously; we are here to search for the truth and to search for justice.”

On his part, the counsel to Mr Abiodun, Taiwo Osipitan, a professor of law and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), expressed optimism that the tribunal would discharge its duties without fear or favour.

Mr Osipitan said, “People can allege anything, but he who alleges must proof, let them come and proof, that is why we are here, and we are waiting for them to bring their evidence to support whatever they are claiming.”