ANXIETY AS NO DATE IS FIXED FOR APPEAL COURT JUDGMENT....48HRS TO DEADLINE

THERE is anxiety in Ondo
State with only 48 hours to
the deadline for the delivery
of judgment by the Appeal
Court on the election petition
on the last governorship
race in the state. There is no
notice yet from the court on
when it will hand down its
verdict on the appeal filed by
the candidate of the Action
Congress of Nigeria [ACN],
Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu
[SAN], and his party against
the judgment of State
Governorship Election
Tribunal which upheld
Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s
election. The court has 60
days, according to the 1999
Constitution, to deliver
judgment on appeals arising
from governorship elections
disputes. In the case of the
Akeredolu appeal, Monday,
July 1, is the last day
allowed by the constitution
for the court to rule. The
same day is the deadline for
the delivery of judgment by
the court on the appeal filed
by the PDP candidate in the
election, Chief Olusola Oke.
At press time, counsel to the
litigants in the case had not
been notified by the court on
when judgment will be
delivered. While supporters
of the ruling Labour Party
(LP) are celebrating that the
PDP and ACN are close to
losing the case finally by
Monday if judgment is not
delivered by then, those of
ACN and PDP have been
holding consultations on the
way out. The Court of Appeal
sitting in Akure on Tuesday
heard all parties to the
appeal and reserved
judgment for a date to be
communicated to parties. By
the rules of Court of Appeal,
all parties to the appeal
ought to have been notified
by yesterday if judgment
would be delivered on
Monday. However, findings
by our correspondent at the
Court of Appeal registry
yesterday showed that no
date had been fixed for
judgment .