Gbajabiamila: Police bar journalists from election tribunal

Journalists were on Wednesday barred by armed policemen from the sitting of the tribunal hearing petitions against the victory of the All Progressives Congress lawmaker representing Surulere federal constituency 1, Lagos State, in the House of Representatives, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila. Gbajamilama, who is now the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, had been declared the winner of the February 28, 2015 poll by the Independent National Electoral Commission after polling 21, 715 votes. But his victory is being challenged by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the said election, Mr. Tony Ashikodi, who polled14, 550 votes. Journalists were on Wednesday denied access into the premises of the Rosaline Omotosho Court House in Ikeja where the Justice C.U. Anwuka-led three-man tribunal was hearing Ashikodi’s petition against Gbajabiamila’s victory. A police patrol van with number plate CY 581 KTU was stationed directly at the entrance of the court house, while heavily-armed policemen were on patrol. Another patrol van with number plate RRS 161 LA was also parked at the junction opposite the Ikeja Police College, Ikeja while two others, which were unmarked, were also were stationed opposite the Lagos State Water Corporation, Ikeja. All the patrol vans were occupied by armed policemen. The armed policemen at the court’s entrance turned journalists back, saying that they were acting “on an order from above that nobody should be allowed to enter the court premises.” One of them, while preventing journalists from gaining access into the court’s premises, said, “Our CP came here yesterday and instructed us not to allow anybody, including journalists to enter here.”