The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Ekiti has denied reports in some media that President Goodluck Jonathan ordered the closure of courts in Ekiti in favour of the state governor-elect, Ayodele Fayose.
Instead, the labour union maintained that the courts were shut as a result of an ongoing industrial action against the out-going government of Kayode Fayemi over unresolved salary problems.
There had been reports earlier on Friday that the Federal Government actually ordered the courts shut so that the suits against Fayose, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would not be heard.
Opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) and the e-Eleven, an Ekiti socio-cultural group, had filed separate suits against Fayose.
While the APC is contesting his electoral victory, the e-Eleven wants the court to declare that the governor-elect lacks credibility to govern the state beginning from 16th October.
The e-Eleven is basing its suit on a document it claimed to have obtained from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in which Fayose declared that he had never been indicted by any panel of enquiry whereas, a panel of enquiry set up by the Ekiti state House of Assembly had indicted him of some misdemeanours that led to his impeachment in 2003.
In the heat of the attack on some judges and lawyers in the High Court, Ado-Ekiti recently, the courts were shut by the state Chief Justice.
But the NLC said on Friday that the recent closure of the courts had nothing to do with Fayose but the refusal of the state government to pay salary arrears and allowances.
Security agencies, comprising soldiers, police and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps had since Tuesday taken over the premises of the Ado Ekiti High Court and because there had not been any official reason for this, it was generally concluded that the presidency may have ordered the closure of the courts.
Ekiti State Secretary of the NLC, Comrade Ade Obatoye, said it was not the best to read political meanings to issues as the closure of the courts, an indirect remark against the APC that alleged that Jonathan was involved in the action.
He said the strike action by the workers in the state also affected the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JSUN), adding that this accounted for the closure of courts. He maintained that the state Chief Judge, Justice Ayodele Daramola, had not reversed the order that courts in the state be closed.
