Amid water-tight security, the Supreme Court will on Friday, January 12, 2024, deliver make-or-mar judgements in eight separate gubernatorial election legal battles.
The states where their governors are expected to know their fates on whether to remain in office or be shovelled aside are Kano, Plateau, Bauchi, Cross River, and Nasarawa, among others.
Already, security has been woven around the apex court by security operatives from various agencies, mainly the Department of State Service, DSS, Police and Civil Defence Corps.
A notice for the judgement delivery, issued to various political parties and their governorship candidates by the apex court, limited their representations to only two members from each party.
Notable among the political parties are the All Progressives Congress, APC, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Labour Party, LP, and Social Democratic Party, SDP.
Counsels who represent different governors have also been instructed to come to court with only five lawyers from each chamber.
Prominent among them are Chief Chris, Adegboyega Awomolo, Paul Usoro, Ogwu James Onoja, Ahmed Raji, Kanu Agabi, Alex Izinyon, Abiodun Owonikoko, Tayo Oyetibo, John Yakubu Musa and Kehinde Ogunwumiju.
The apex court predicated the restriction order on the lack of space in the courtroom where the judgements would be delivered.
OsunDailyNG observed that with less than 24 hours until the judgement delivery, police security vehicles have already been stationed along the roads leading to the court and the Villa Gate.
Sources told OsunDailyNG that DSS operatives would be responsible for frisking and clearing those that would access the courtroom and would be backed by operatives from other agencies in the control of the crowd.
Journalists accredited by the Supreme Court would be allowed into the courtroom and foyer of the court, depending on the number of seats that may be allocated to them.
Deputy Director of Press and Information of the Supreme Court, Malam Alfa Ahmed, confirmed that eight judgements involving disputes over governorship elections would be delivered.
He said that the court has taken proactive measures to make the judgement delivery hitch-free through the provision of adequate security arrangements around the court premises.
