The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial district, Prince Buruji Kashamu, have petitioned the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, seeking the disbandment of the appeal panel sitting in Ibadan, over allegations of inducement, influence peddling and pervasion of justice.
They alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC), through a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), had already compromised members of the panel.
In one of the petitions dated November 18, 2015, and signed by PDP secretary in Ogun State, Alhaji Semiu Shodipo , the party accused the APC of influencing a recent judgment of the Ogun State elections petition tribunal ordering a re-run of elections in several constituencies in the state.
Shodipo, in the petition entitled: “Compromise of Ibadan Election Petitions Appeal Panel by the APC for Ogun State Election Petitions,” faulted the decision of the tribunal that ordered fresh elections in certain wards, even when APC did not make such prayers.
He accused the APC of channelling N150 million through a senior lawyer to help it get favourable judgment in the Court of Appeal.
According to the PDP secretary, there was the need for an intervention by the President of Court of Appeal, because of alleged clear likelihood of bias on the part of the justices of the Court of Appeal who are members of the election petitions appeal tribunal.
“This intervention is required for the reconstitution of the said panel because of the close relationship of one of the counsels of the APC candidates and the Senior Advocate of Nigeria to at least two of the said Justices; which relationship the APC candidates have boasted is to be used to compromise the said justices to order the return of the APC candidates or to uphold the decision of the Tribunal for reruns of all the elections,” he said.
He further alleged that a certain Dapo Abiodun, APC’s senatorial candidate, had before the tribunal delivered its judgment, publicly boasted that his party had a deal with some judges to upturn PDP’s victory.
“Our suspicion was heightened when by Thursday, October 8 the leadership of the party distributed branded T-shirts to members of the APC, and they had bought cows and were making merriment in celebration of their anticipated victory even before the reading of the judgment of the tribunal
“My Lord, if it has been established that 91 out of the 110 polling units cancelled were not challenged by the petitioners, where did the tribunal get the evidence it used in nullifying the result of the election in those places?” the petition read in part.