Supporters of Mr Babajide Obanikoro, who won the Ikoyi-Obalende Local Council Development Area Chairmanship election on the platform of the PDP, on Monday staged a peaceful protest to the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja.
The supporters were protesting the indefinite adjournment of the Lagos State Election Petitions Appeal Tribunal.
Obanikoro is the son of Mr Musiliu Obanikoro, a PDP chieftain and former gubernatorial candidate in Lagos State.
It will be recalled that the Lagos State Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Ikeja, had on Oct. 4, 2012, declared Obanikoro, winner of the local government election conducted on Oct. 22, 2011.
The five-member tribunal, presided over by retired Justice Dolapo Akinsanya, in its judgment, held that Obanikoro scored the highest number of valid votes in the election.
The incumbent chairman, Mr Adewale Adeniji, of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), had on Oct. 9 filed an appeal against the judgment.
However, on Nov.15, the appeal tribunal adjourned indefinitely following a petition written against some of the judges hearing the suit.
The protesters carrying placards with various inscriptions thronged the premises of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja demanded for justice on the matter.
Their spokesman, Mr Bisi Olakokun, alleged that the indefinite adjournment by the appeal tribunal was a ploy to truncate the matter and allow Adeniji to remain the chairman.
“We did not vote for him, we did not vote for the ACN, we voted for Obanikoro and we want our mandate back.
“LASIEC should do as the tribunal ordered and swear in Obanikoro as chairman because he won the election, “Olakokun said.
Addressing the protesters, Mr Ganiyu Safari, Chief Registrar, Lagos State Judiciary, urged them to remain calm, adding that the allegation against the judges would be investigated.
“Allegations were made about some of the judges on issues bordering on their neutrality and investigations are currently ongoing.
“The right thing for the judges to do was to adjourn indefinitely and hands off the matter for now and that is what they did.
“However, this does not mean that the matter has ended because hearing of the suit can start at any moment the investigations are concluded,'' Safari said.
The n ews Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the five-member appeal tribunal is headed by Justice Opeyemi Oke.
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