A federal high court in Lagos has ordered the Labour Party (LP) and its supporters not to converge on the Lekki tollgate for its “#Obidatti23 Forward Ever” rally scheduled for October 1.
Daniel Osiago, the judge, also ordered the Lagos state police commissioner and inspector-general of police to oversee compliance to the order.
Osiago made this order on Wednesday while ruling on a suit marked FHC/L/CS/1729/2022 asking the court to restrain Peter Obi, presidential candidate of LP; Datti Baba-Ahmed, vice-presidential candidate; Julius Abure, party chairman and their supporters from holding the rally in Lagos until the hearing and determination of their suit.
The plaintiffs argued that the rally could cause the breakdown of law and order in Lagos, similar to the October 2020 #EndSARS rally in which lives were lost and properties were destroyed across the state.
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They also asked the court to restrain Obi and his party, as well as their loyalists, from further planning and promoting the rally.
They further sought an injunction to prevent the rally from going ahead as well as the organisers from using the Lekki toll plaza or any other space within Lagos state.
Although the court ordered that the rally cannot stop at the Lekki tollgate, the judge held that it can pass through the venue to access Falomo Bridge and other venues at which the rally plans to meet.
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The plaintiffs, in the suit marked FHC/L/CS/1729/2022, include Adedotun Ajulo, Salamatu Lewi, Hakeem Ijaduola, Ogunbona Akinpelu, Owolabi Oluwasegun, Mogbojuri Kayode, Wuyep Nadom, Dimimu Mabel, Kolawole Salami and Wale Lawrence (the only non-lawyer).
Other defendants are the IGP, Lagos commissioner of police, director-general of the Department of State Services (DSS), Lekki Concession Company (LCC) Limited, attorney-general of Lagos, and the governor of Lagos.
The matter has been adjourned to November 4 for hearing of the substantive suit.
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