A Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday threatened to order the arrest of former Ogun State governor, Gbenga Daniel, if he fails to appear in court on December 19.

Justice Okon Abang also ordered former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole to be present in court at the next adjourned date.

Daniel and Bankole are among alleged contemnors in a contempt proceedings initiated by Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, executive committee members in Ogun State, led by Chief Adebayo Dayo. Other alleged contemnors in the proceedings are the PDP, Dave Salako and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

The Ogun executives had initiated the contempt proceedings against them for allegedly disobeying orders of the court.

The plaintiffs alleged that the respondents had been attempting to remove them from office, despite two Federal High Court judgments affirming the legality of their positions.

At the resumed hearing of the matter yesterday, Justice Abang warned that he would not tolerate any disobedience of his orders by anybody.

“I have jurisdiction to enforce the judgment of this court. It’s up to them to be here on the next adjourned date. If they’re not here on December 15, I will compel their attendance. I so hold,” the judge said.

He declared that it was wrong for anyone to disobey a court order and give the impression the court is powerless, saying: “The court should bark, bite, and where the situation demands, break the bones,” the judge warned.

The judge said he would also not consider any application filed by the alleged contemnors if they do not appear in court personally.

“The alleged contemnors are not in court, but they ought to be in court. It is mandatory that they be here. They cannot be in the comfort of their homes.

They must be in court before any application filed by them can be taken. “The second (Bankole), third (Daniel) and fourth (Salako) respondents have no reason being absent in court today and no reason has been offered for their absence.

It’s not a civil matter. This is a quasi-criminal matter,” the judge said. He described such behaviour as “reprehensible to the extreme,” adding: “I will not be a party to this type of unwholesome development.”

The court subsequently granted an ex-parte application brought by the plaintiffs’ counsel, Mr Ajibola Oluyede, allowing them to serve the alleged contemnors with the motion on notice for committal outside Lagos.

Besides, the court restrained the PDP National Working Committee from recognising any primaries except the ones conducted by the Adebayo-led executive.

•Source: National Mirror.

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