As a result of the dissolution of the panel headed by Justice
Tobi Ebiowel, the appeal filed by Senator Buruji Kashamu at the Court
of Appeal sitting in Ibadan, Oyo state, contesting the nullification of his election in the March 28 senatorial poll suffered setback on Tuesday, November 24.
Kashamu had been declared by the Independent National Electoral
Commission as the winner of the election on the platform of the Peoples
Democratic Party to represent Ogun East senatorial district at the
National Assembly.
But the state National Assembly election petition tribunal nullified
the election thereby ordering for a rerun in 110 polling units within
Ogun East senatorial district.
According to Leadership, Journalists, lawyers and political party
supporters who besieged the court as early as 8.30 am were disappointed
as the court refused to entertain the Kashamu’s appeal based on bribery
allegation levelled against the lower tribunal.
The report disclosed that shortly after counsels to all the parties
in the case, journalists and other stakeholders had taken their seats,
at about the time the proceedings was to commence, an official of the
court walked into the court room to announce the dissolution of the
appeal panel.
Further in his announcement in the court, the official said that the
directive on the dissolution of the appeal panel was from the president
of the Court of Appeal.
He said that the president noted that a new panel had been
reconstituted to handle the case, adding that the concerned parties
would be duly informed of the new date for the commencement of the
hearing of the case.
However, there had been a two-page petition advertised in two
national dailies on Monday, November 23, which accused the Appeal Court
of possible bias.
It was on that basis that speculation arose that the court president
resolved to dissolve the initial panel from hearing the case.
Meanwhile, Kashamu recently came
under heavy attack from the All Progressives Congress in Ogun state
over a petition against the national and state assemblies elections
petitions tribunal in the state
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