By Abdulwahab Abdulah

LAGOS — THE Supreme Court will today commence hearing of the appeal filed by Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Chieftain, Chief Olabode George, against the judgment of the appellate court which confirmed the judgment of the Lagos State High Court that sentenced him to two years imprisonment for contracts splitting and inflation in 2009.

The former Deputy National Chairman (South West) of PDP, had filed an appeal to the apex court asking it to review and upturn the judgment of the trial court which sentenced him to two years jail term.

George in one of the grounds of appeal was contending that the appellate court erred in law when it failed to upturn the jail term passed on him by the trial court, while he contested that the prosecution counsel, Mr. Festus Keyamo, did not get a fiat to prosecute him.

He is also contending that the trial court erred in law when it convicted him for not obeying administrative directive, which had been in existence before he came on board of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, as chairman.

Gorge claimed that he was tried in error by the Lagos State High Court, which sentenced him to two years imprisonment for contracts splitting and inflation in 2009.

Referring to a memo by the Acting Director of Public Prosecution of the Federal Government, Mr. O.T Olatigbe, he argued that there was no fiat from his office ordering his trial.

Others convicted alongside him were the former Managing Director of the NPA, Mr. Aminu Dabo, Captain O. Abidoye, Alhaji Abdulahi Aminu Tafida, Alhaji Zanna Maidaribe and Mr. Sule Aliyu, who was joined as 6th defendant after the charge was amended.

In a response to a memo by the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, Mohammed Adoke, which requested for the fiat upon which the trial was based, Olatigbe said they could not trace any record of such fiat with his office.