Journalists were yesterday barred from covering court proceedings and ordered out of the court premises at the State High Court, Ede, Osun State in a divorce case instituted by business tycoon Mr. Deji Adeleke against his wife Adepeju Margaret Adeleke.
In the suit the petitioner Mr. Deji Adeleke is seeking for divorce on reasons interalia that friends and family members are against the union.
The suit for divorce was filed by Adeleke in March 2014 while the case began in June same year.
Dramatic scenes were enacted at the sitting yesterday , while Barrister Wale Afolabi who stood for the petitioner argued for the continuation of proceedings lawyer to the respondent objected to such and he advanced points for the need to step down other issues relating to the case pending the determination and consideration of the motion he filed against the Judge.
Kemi Pinhero SAN had in the motion dated 16th November 2015 leveled allegations of bias against the judge, in the said motion Pinhero questioned the Judge’s ability to perform his constitutional functions and hold an even scale between the party. In presenting a set of facts and arguments for the propriety of treating the motion he cited Supreme Court cases of Ebodagbe versus Okoye and Adebesin Versus the State of 2004 and 2014, others are that of Osayomi versus the State in 2007 at the Court of Appeal and Seplat Petroleum Development versus Brittalia – U Nigeria Ltd of 2014 at the Supreme Court in which issues of jurisdiction and allegation of bias took precedent over other matters.
He therefore vehemently advanced points for the need for the motion to be heard first.
Justice A. O. Oguntade had before proceeding started adjourned four cases listed for his attention and gave reasons that lawyers in the other cases are residents in Osun while those involved in the divorce case would have to return to Lagos hence his decision to adjourn other cases.
Reasons for his decision was however punctured by the Lawyer to the respondent and he also cited it as another ground of proving allegation of bias and alleged personal interest against the Judge .
Pinhero wondered why a divorce case listed and a land case of 2010 should be adjourned to hurriedly single out the Adeleke / Margaret’s case for consideration and that matrimony cases should not ordinarily earn fast track status above land matters. He also expressed surprise that the gallery was cleared before the proceedings began. Barrister Wale Afolabi in his submission however argued that the proceedings could continue and that the fresh motion by the Lawyer to the respondent wasn’t properly handled and that if he wanted it on record he should have made an affidavit and that oral submissions for reasons for application for the motion could not be allowed. Afolabi also made reference to the presence of Journalists in the Court as a way of registering point that other people were allowed entry into the court. The visibly worried Judge interjected and asked that the Journalists should stand up to be identified and as soon as his order was complied with he ordered them out of the Court and shouted at the top of his voice that police should ensure they are led out of the court premises.
Relatives of both parties who arrived minutes later also had a taste of the judge’s hostility as he gave an order that nobody should be allowed entry into the Court they were later allowed into the court after being identified as non-Journalists.
The judge later adjourned the case till today 17th November, 2015 for continuation of hearing and possible ruling.
No comments:
Post a Comment