Oni, PDP case stalled in Ekiti

  

Former Governor of Ekiti State, Chief Segun Oni

APPEARANCE of two different sets of lawyers for the defendants on Tuesday stalled proceedings in the suit filed by former Ekiti State governor, Chief Olusegun Oni; and a Peoples Democratic Party leader, Mr. Ireti Oniyide, to stop the party from conducting election into its South-West Zonal offices.

Two weeks ago, two sets of lawyers similarly announced their appearance for the PDP when the matter came up for hearing before Justice Olusegun Ogunyemi, the vacation judge who was handling the matter.

When the case came up for hearing before Justice Emmanuel Ogundana of Ado-Ekiti High Court on Tuesday, different sets again announced their presence for the state Chairman of PDP, Mr. Makanjuola Ogundipe; Chairman, PDP Special Convention Organising Committee, Prof. Jerry Gana; and the party.

Mr. Olalekan Olatawura and Mr. Femi Olojede appeared for Oni, ex-Vice-Chairman of the PDP in the  South-West zone; and Oniyide, former Zonal Financial Secretary.

Also, former Commissioner for Justice in Ekiti State, Mr. Obafemi Adewale, leading four other lawyers, announced their appearance for the defendants with another set of lawyers, led by another former justice commissioner in the state, Mr. Owoseni Ajayi, representing the second and third defendants.

Ajayi said the National Legal Adviser of the party, in conjunction with the National Chairman, directed him to handle the matter.

 “My team does not know who among the sets of lawyers to regard as the authentic representatives of the defendants,” Olatawura said.

He recalled that the same scenario occured during the previous hearing and urged the defendants’ lawyers to sort themselves out before further hearing of the case.

Ogundana said he noticed the stalemate in the court records by the vacation judge and, therefore, called on the parties to agree on a date for adjournment in order to address the logjam.

The judge adjourned the matter and all pending applications to September 19.