Strike: Labour Unions Disrupt Inaugural Sitting Of Edo State LGA Elections Petition Tribunal

The inaugural sitting of the Edo State Local Government election petition tribunal was on Tuesday disrupted by labour unions in the state as a result of the ongoing national strike as they ensured that the court did not sit to begin hearing of petitions arising from the recently held local government election in the state.

The tribunal was constituted by the State Chief Judge and notice was given to concerned petitioners that sitting would commence on Tuesday 14 November,2023.

Sitting barely began when officials of the labour Union’s stormed the venue and ordered everybody out and shut the door of the building.

It was gathered that the tribunal has Eighteen petitions before it and a limited time frame, the immediate past president of the Nigeria Bar association Olumide Akpata was among those at the court to watch proceedings.

Reacting, a counsel to one of the defendants, Samson Eraze said “Before the strike, we got a hearing notice for today and the inaugural sitting was supposed to be today and because we didn’t get any other notice directing otherwise, we have to be here. We came fully prepared for the business of the day but before the commencement of the sitting, labour union leaders stormed the court premises and asked us to vacate the premises because of the strike action.

“The cases are time bound but we will wait for further direction but the time can be enlarged because this is not caused by any of the parties.”

On his part, the Chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress in Edo State, Comrade Odion Olaye commended the level of compliance in the state and said the shutting down of the court sitting was in compliance with the ongoing strike.