Justice Jonathan Shakarho of a Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan on Monday adjourned sine die the case instituted by three governorship aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party in Oyo State, Alhaji Hazeem Gbalorumi, Elder Wole Oyelese and Alhaji Yekeen Adeojo, as well as 34 others over the candidacy of Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala.
Justice Shakarho based his decision to adjourn the case on a petition written by one of the plaintiffs, Mr. Yekinni Atoyebi, alleging that he (the judge) took a bribe to the tune of N50m to vacate an earlier order of the court.
The plaintiffs, including Senator Lekan Balogun, had earlier got an interim injunction from the court restraining the PDP and Alao-Akala from acting on or presenting any candidate of the party in the state to the Independent National Electoral Commission based on the results of the party’s congresses held in December 2010.
Joined in the suit were INEC, the PDP, the party state chairman, Chief Dejo Afolabi, and Alao-Akala.
Last Monday, Justice Shakarho vacated and set aside the court order, ordering that the party was free to file names of party members seeking to contest elections with the INEC.
Not satisfied by the development, the plaintiffs, through their counsel, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), filed an appeal dated February 16, 2010.
But Atoyebi, in a petition addressed to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Jutice Alloysius Katsina-Alu, alleged that Justice Shakarho took bribe to the tune of N50m to vacate the order of the court.
When the court resumed on Monday to hear the substantive matter and the contempt charge brought against the governor, the judge said he would adjourn the matter sine die while he awaits the decision of the CJN on the petition.
While describing the allegation as frivolous, Justice Shakarho promised to respond appropriately to the petition when called upon to do so by the CJN.
Meanwhile, Alao-Akala has called on the National Judicial Council to investigate the allegation thoroughly with a view to bringing the culprits to book.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Public Communication, Mr. Dotun Oyelade, the governor said that the bribery allegation coming from the defendants just because the judge vacated his earlier order was a sad day for the relationship between politicians and the Judiciary.
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