By  Emma Amaize
A Federal High Court, Asaba, was yesterday forced to postpone judgment on the tenure completion suit by the Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan,to March 15 (today) following a black out in the court.

Trial judge, Justice Ibrahim Buba, who walked into the court room at about 9.00 am had to adjourn the judgment when he observed that there was no electricity and people inside the court, including him, were suffocating.

His words: “There is no light, the court is jam-packed, there is no way I am going to go ahead with my judgment under this circumstances, it is almost impossible. The generating set is faulty and they are working on it. Are people going to be fanning me while I read the judgement?”

With these words, he rose about 10 minutes later, that was at 9.10 am, saying, the judgment was reschedules to enable the technician effect repairs on the generating set.

Some persons immediately suspected sabotage, wondering why the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PCHN, should not provide electricity to the court at such critical time, but, the PHCN manager, Asaba, Engr. E. Okwara, who was contacted by Vanguard on the matter, said it was not a deliberate act, as the percentage of power available for distribution in Asaba was far below what was required for the population using it.

However, before the matter was postponed, Bello Aidoloje Esq, counsel to the NCP governorship candidate in Delta State, Mr. Collins Eselemo, whose application for joinder on March 7 was dismissed on the grounds that he was not prepared for the case and did not comply to the relevant rules, told Justice Buba, “I have filed a motion of stay or suspension of proceedings at the Court of Appeal, Benin City”.

He said the motion had been brought to the notice of the parties, but E.S. Nri-Esedi, who held brief for Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, counsel for the first defendant, INEC, rose to raise an objection to the appearance of Aidoloje in the matter in the first instance.