From: GODWIN TSA, Abuja
The new panel constituted to hear all appeals emanating from the Ondo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] was yesterday greeted with legal theatrics and intrigues forcing it to adjourn proceedings till November 7, 2016.
Both the Senator Ahmed Makarfi and Ali Moudu Sheriff factions of the PDP are entangled in the cobwebs of legal theatrics over who controls the party structures and governorship candidate for the forthcoming elections in Ondo State.
Before the adjournment, the panel however identified all the processes emanating from the multiple appeals.
The Justice Ibrahim Salauwa led three-member panel took over from Justice Jummai Sankey’s panel, which disqualified itself over bribery allegations.
Other members of the fresh panel set up by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa are Justices Ignatius Igwe Aguba and George Mbaba.
Meanwhile, the fresh panel was confronted with multiple applications for and against the hearing of the appeals.
For instance, while Wole Olanikpekun [SAN] counsel to Mr. Eyitayo Jegede, who is seeking leave of the Appeal Court to the judgment of Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, prayed the court for accelerated hearing; the lead counsel to Prince Biyi Poroye, B.E.I. Nwofor [SAN] drew the attention of the court to a motion filed on November 3, 2016 challenging the composition of a special panel.
Nwofor submitted that given the nature of his motion challenging the jurisdiction of the court, his motion should first be determined before that of Jegede.
In his own submissions, counsel to the Senator Ali Modu Sheriff-led faction of the PDP, Godswill Mrakpor told the court that neither the application by Jegede nor the motion filed by Ngwufor were ripe for hearing.
He informed the court that the processes in both applications were only served on him on Thursday evening adding that he needed time to file his response to them.
But it was the application brought by Ahmed Raji [SAN], counsel to the Senator Ahmed Makarfi led faction of the PDP that threw up controversy in the courtroom.
Arguments ensued between Raji and Raphael Oluyode, another counsel representing the Sheriff faction of the PDP, over who has the authority to represent the party in court.