The council, it was gathered, has also scheduled another round of meeting for October 13 and 14.
The council may also summon the state Chief Judge (CJ), Justice Ayo Daramola and the governor-elect, Mr Ayo Fayose, to appear before its probe panel at a later date.
It is also expected to deliberate on Daramola and alleged plan by Governor Kayode Fayemi to relocate courts handling Fayose’s suits elsewhere outside the state.
While those supporting the move are reportedly pushing for Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, a council source disclosed that Abuja might be the preferred destination, if the request would be considered at all.
Meanwhile, Fayose has written to the NJC, in his counter-motion against the motion earlier sent by the state Chief Judge, Justice Daramola.
Fayose, in his counter-petition, told the NJC that Justice Daramola claims on the crisis rocking the state judiciary, over the alleged plan to stop his swearing-in on October 16 were not correct.
Daramola had, in his petition to the council, claimed that Fayose led the alleged thugs that attacked judges on court premises.
Fayose, however, in his personally-signed response to the council, dated September 29, 2014 and addressed to the council chairperson, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, expressed readiness to be fully involved in a probe he called for, over the incidents of September 22 and 25, which led to the shutting down of all courts in the state.
“This letter is necessitated by the information at my disposal that the Chief Judge of Ekiti State has formally informed your Lordship about the alleged disruption of court proceedings on September 22, 2014 and the false allegation that I assaulted Justice Adeyeye of the Ekiti Judiciary on September 25, 2014.
“I have decided to clarify these issues because of the widespread but false allegations that I was involved and/or masterminded the two unfortunate and shameful incidents.
“On September 22, 2014, I was not in Nigeria. I was in Ghana. It was while I was in Ghana that I learnt of the unfortunate disruptions of the proceedings before Justice I.O.I. Ogunyemi. His Lordship was presiding over two similar suits in HAD51/2014 and HAD52/2014, the substance of which was that I was not qualified to contest for the office of governor of Ekiti State.
“I must point out at this juncture that the rumours had been making the rounds that these two cases would be used to frustrate my being sworn in on October 16, 2014 as the governor of Ekiti State, in order to pave the way for the emergence of the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, who is in the opposition party, to be sworn in as the acting governor.
“Quite unfortunately, my Lord, I learnt some of the spectators who were in court to watch the proceedings, apparently and maybe through the insistence of the trial judge to conclude the matter that day, considered the development as a confirmation of the rumours making the rounds. I was informed that some unidentified persons then stormed the court and disrupted the proceedings.
“On September 25, 2014, my lawyer advised me that as a mark of respect for the sacred institution of the court, I should attend the inaugural sitting of the governorship tribunal sitting in Ado-Ekiti, to try the petition filed against my election by one of the opposition parties to the said election.
“I came into the premises of the court with a handful of my security details, but met hordes of people in and around the court on my arrival. Many of these onlookers decided to follow me into the premises for which I had no control. I tried to find my way to where the tribunal was sitting, since there were so many courtrooms on the premises.
“I wish to state that until that day and moment, I had not met nor had any transaction with Justice Adeyeye. I had nothing against his Lordship and I am sure he would not have anything against me either. As one of the security details pointed where the tribunal was sitting to me and I was making my way, there, a man in a dark suit approached me that I should instruct the hordes of people following me to stop making noise. This encounter took place in an open field between two court rooms.
“I then tried to look back and instructed some of the policemen to tell the people to move away and I continued towards the tribunal. I did not and never instructed, directed and/or instigated anyone to assault Justice Adeyeye. The news of the incidence of the alleged assault on his Lordship came to my knowledge while I was already inside the tribunal where the proceedings were going on.
“To show your lordship that I couldn’t have had any hand in the unfortunate incident of September 25, I was the person who called and informed the Commissioner of Police and also advised him to personally come to the premises of the court and that if need be, tear-gas should be used to disperse the agitating crowd.
“This can be confirmed from the Commissioner of Police, Ekiti State. Also, after I had left the tribunal after the proceedings and the learned counsel for the petitioner spoke to me vide the telephone of my Chief of Staff about the menace of the crowd milling around after the proceedings and of his apprehension for his personal safety, I directed my chief of staff and some security men to ensure that he was not harmed. The said senior counsel, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, could also be contacted for confirmation.
“I pray my lord as follows; that your Lordship should put in place a high-powered inquiry that would impartially investigate the unfortunate incidents of September 22 and 25, because I am totally innocent of all the unfortunate false and spurious allegations made against me concerning the unfortunate incidents referred to above.
I am a law-abiding and responsible citizen, I am ready and willing to make myself available to assist the inquiry,” Fayose said.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, in a statement by the state publicity secretary, Pastor Kola Oluwawole, said the issues were being amplified.
Oluwawole, who said fracas during court proceedings was not new in Nigeria, especially in political cases, cited instances of the election tribunal sittings in Ondo State, which was disrupted on March 18, 2013, when supporters of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and Labour Party (LP) clashed, leaving four persons injured.
He also said on January 23, 2012, supporters of PDP and ACN clashed on the premises of the governorship election petition tribunal in Lokoja, Kogi State, with one person shot and three others injured.
“The same also happened on January 6, 2012, when many people were injured in a commotion between the supporters of Governor Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State and his predecessor, Alhaji Akwe Doma, at the Court of Appeal in Makurdi.
“In all the three instances mentioned above, courts in the states were not shut, while no judge came out of his chamber to ‘warn’ the party supporters,” the party said.
Source: Tribune
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