On Wednesday, the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal, which is located in Abeokuta, Ogun State, did not convene as scheduled.

This disruption was a consequence of the ongoing two-day warning strike initiated by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

The tribunal had previously designated September 6 as the date for announcing its judgment in response to a petition, EPT/OG/SEN/2023. This petition was filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Ganiyu Dada, against Senator Olamilekan Adeola, who represents Ogun West.

However, the delivery of this judgment was halted when judicial workers, in adherence to the NLC’s warning strike, closed the gates of the Magistrates court, where the tribunal proceedings were held. Leaders of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) were responsible for securing the gate, aligning with the NLC’s directive.

Olanrewaju Ajiboye, the State Chairman of JUSUN, clarified that this action was taken in accordance with the instructions issued by the national body regarding the two-day warning strike.

“The tribunal is expected to sit today but the judges are unable to sit because we have locked the gate of the Court in compliance with the directive of the NLC national body. This is why the tribunal can not sit today,” he said.  

When asked about the time-sensitive nature of election tribunal proceedings, Ajiboye responded, “We cannot simply open the gate and permit the tribunal to proceed; that would imply that we deliberately undermined the workers’ struggle.”

“The tribunal has the right to sit anywhere but this is our own premises, we can always close it as directed by the national body of the union.”

The warning strike, initiated in protest against the hardships resulting from the removal of fuel subsidies, commenced on Tuesday and is scheduled to conclude at the end of the working day today.

So far, it has garnered partial support from workers in Ogun State.