Some loyalists of the Ali Modu Sheriff-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party in the South-West, have filed an application before the Court of Appeal in Abuja, asking for an order disbanding the new panel set up to hear the appeals relating to the dispute over the PDP’s ticket for the forthcoming governorship election in Ondo State.
The eight loyalists led by Biyi Poroye, who is the Chairman of the Sherriff-led faction of the PDP in Ondo State, are officers of the faction in the South-West states.
They are also respondents in the various appeals filed by the Ahmed Makarfi-led faction of the party and its preferred Ondo State governorship candidate, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede, challenging the order of a Federal High Court in Abuja compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission to drop Jegede and replace him with Jimoh Ibrahim of the Sheriff faction as the governorship candidate of the party in Ondo State.
President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, had set up a new panel to hear the appeals, following the withdrawal of the former panel led by Justice Jummai Sankey.
The Sankey-led panel withdrew from the case after Poroye accused the panel members as well as Justice Bulkachuwa of having been bribed to rule in favour of Jegede.
The newly three-man panel is led by Justice Ibrahim Saulawa of the Calabar Division of the Appeal Court.
The two other members are Justices Ignatius Agube and Ita Mbaba, both of whom are of the Owerri Division of the appellate court.
But Poroye and his co-respondent to the appeals filed a motion filed before the Court of Appeal in Abuja on Thursday, asking for an order disbanding the new panel on the grounds for being allegedly constituted in breach of their right to fair hearing guaranteed under Section 36 of the Constitution.
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