Heavy security, tension as Appeal Court sets for judgment

Heavy security has been woven around the premises of the Court of Appeal in Abuja as the Court is set to deliver a make or mar judgment in the Nasarawa State Governorship election legal battle.

All roads leading to the Appellate Court have been cordoned off by heavily armed security personnel from the Nigeria Police, Department of State Services, DSS, and the Civil Defense Corps.

Both private and commercial vehicles who used to ply the Federal Secretariat roads to various destinations have been diverted to other routes with officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, having a hectic battle to control the heavy traffic occasioned by the road blockade.

The security measures, newsmen gathered, were put in place by the management of the court to ward off possible breakdown of law after the judgment.

As of the time of this report, both staff of the court, lawyers, litigants and newsmen are being thoroughly frisked at the main gate before being allowed into the court premises.

Although several journalists were accredited for coverage of the judgment, only five of them are being allowed into the court room due to what an official of the court blamed on lack of enough seats and crowd control.

Our correspondent observed that only a few accredited political party officials and their sympathizers who had arrived the court as early as 8 am were permitted into the court premises, while several others were restricted to far distance by armed mobile policemen.

The fierce legal battle is between the incumbent governor of the state, Abdullahi Sule of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and his opponent, David Ombugadu of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

It will be recalled that the Nasarawa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal had in a majority decision of two to one annulled the election of governor Sule on account of not scoring majority of lawful votes cast during the March 18 gubernatorial election.

The Tribunal declared Ombugadu, a former member of the House of Representatives as the lawful winner of the election.

Meanwhile, the justices are being awaited for the delivery of the judgment.