The Public Relations Officer of the Supreme Court, Festus Akande, has assured that the fire incident that occurred on Monday morning will not affect the presidential election petition.
Akande made this known while speaking during an interview on Arise TV on Monday.
According to him, the fire incident will not affect anything in the court.
A wing of the Supreme Court complex situated at the Three-Arm-Zone, Abuja, was engulfed by fire on Monday morning.
The PRO noted, “As a matter of fact, there’s no single connection, and it won’t affect anything in the court.
“This incident occurred in a chamber equipped with a computer and other equipment, as well as a functional library used by any justice occupying such a chamber.
Akande added, “The things that were affected were the books and computer equipment in the chamber. Even the books are replaceable.
“Also, it has nothing to do with it because it was from an electrical fault, which could happen anywhere, and there are things that happen daily”, he concluded.
According to Akande, the fire started in one of the chambers of the justices and was caused by an electrical fault.
Akande said that the fire was put out using fire extinguishers and that no casualties were reported.
A source who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the fire started around 6 a.m.
He said cleaners on duty and workers who had arrived early for work detected the fire and raised the alarm. They were able to extinguish the fire before it spread further.
The fire damaged three offices, including that of Justice Mohammed Saulawa. The damage’s extent is unknown, but Akande said that the court is still operational.
The fire comes just weeks after the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, and his Labour Party, LP, counterpart, Peter Obi, sent petitions against President Bola Tinubu’s election to the Supreme Court.
