The Chairman of the Ogun state Labour Party, Com. Arabambi Abayomi has accused Vice President of Nigeria, Prof Yemi Osinbajo of masterminding the disbandment of the Justice Chinwe Onyeabo-led Ogun State Election Petition Tribunal.
It should be recalled that there had been a report that an internal memo had been sent to the State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal Panel, instructing them to immediately leave the state for another judicial assignment elsewhere.
Reacting to the development, Arabambi emphasised that the Vice President must have been the mastermind behind the disbandment of the panel owing to the comments of the governor-elect in the UK, where he eulogised the Vice President for standing behind him throughout the electioneering period in the state.
Arabambi was also shocked on the decision of the Supreme *(or Appeal NB: please check)* Court President to disband the panel over a motion of notice which is yet to be ripe for hearing.
Arabambi further said that the Chairman of the newly constituted panel, Justice Adenike Coker from Lagos Division was a magistrate while Osinbajo was the Attorney General and Justice Commissioner in Lagos State.
The Party however threatened not to do any judicial business with the new panel until it is properly communicated on the reasons for which Onyeabo panel was disbanded.
Arabambi also dismissed allegations that the Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun induced the panel with N1.5 billion.
He also added that the matter which was decided was an intra-party affairs of Labour Party and did not concern either APC, the Allied People's Movement or governor Amosun.
He said: "This disbandment was orchestrated by the Vice President of Nigeria. My claim is hinged on the fact that Dapo Abiodun was recently in a UK church where he eulogised the VP for his emergence before during and after the election.
"Secondly, I don't see a correlation where a mere motion before a court of competent jurisdiction will be heard in the bedroom of the Court of Appeal President, I don't know where that is done and we are not expecting her to take orders from a political party but we expect them to do the right thing and restore the earlier panel.
"The other issue that is fundamental is that the woman Judge they are bringing, Justice Coker cannot act in Ogun State because she is from Lagos State which is the dominant area of APC government. This woman served as Magistarte when VP was Attorney General in Lagos State.
"Up till today, we are not in receipt of any communication from the Court of Appeal and if we are the petitioner, we ought to have been explained to on why the Panel was disbanded.
"As far as we are concerned, these judges are APC judges who are acting on a mere application by the APC." *Is this paragraph not libelous?*
An APC Counsel in the ongoing case, Habeeb Ajayi said the disbandment has nothing to do with the Party's application adding that he was aware of a reshufflement of tribunal judges across the nation.
His words: "How can the Tribunal move ahead to decide the petition when we are the respondent? Why would the tribunal do our job for us, we are suppose to oppose or conceed to.
"What we are saying is that we have not been given the opportunity to be heard, how can you decide such vital issues as to which petition is competent and which one is not competent? It is as if the tribunal has made up its mind,".
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