Governors in the Peoples Democratic
Party are angry over the verdict of the River State Governorship
Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja, which, on Saturday, sacked
Mr. Nyesom Wike as governor of the state.
Their anger is further amplified as
Wike’s sacking came few days after a similar tribunal ordered a rerun of
governorship election in 18 local government areas of Akwa Ibom State,
where the electoral victory of Mr. Udom Emmanuel, a member of the party,
is also in a contest.
The Rivers tribunal on Saturday asked
Wike to vacate his office and directed the Independent National
Electoral Commission to organise a fresh election in the state within 90
days.
It was learnt that as a result of the
new developments, the governors are to meet and discuss the implications
of such judgments to the survival of the former ruling party.
The two affected states are oil-rich and
are considered to be critical to the funding of the party ahead of its
plan to re-strategise for the 2019 elections.
It was gathered that the PDP governors’ ‘emergency meeting’ is tentatively scheduled to hold on Friday.
Speaking to SUNDAY PUNCH
on condition of anonymity, a PDP governor said, “These judgments are
targeted at killing the PDP and we have to do something about it.
“We want to discuss where we can come in
to boost the morale of the affected governors and assure them that
their cases are not beyond redemption.
“We still have the opportunity of
appealing the two verdicts up to the Supreme Court. And thank God, the
new law doesn’t empower the tribunals to declare anyone elected. So, our
hope is rekindled on this.”
The Administrator of the PDP Governors’
Forum, Mr. Osaro Onaiwu, confirmed that the opposition governors had
called for an emergency meeting this week.
He said, “Yes, it is true that the PDP governors have called an emergency meeting, which is holding for Friday.
“They will discuss the judgements and
take a joint position on them. Naturally, they won’t be happy. But they
are meeting to discuss the issue.”
Meanwhile, the national leadership of the PDP has declared the judgment that sacked Wike as bizarre and unacceptable.
It alleged that the judgment was and part of the script by the All Progressives Congress to manipulate the will of the people.
The National Publicity Secretary, PDP,
Mr. Olisa Metuh, in a statement in Abuja on Saturday, said indications
to the judgment, which he described as spurious, had months ago been
hinted to the opposition party.
Metuh said, “We invite Nigerians and the
international community to recall various reprehensible steps taken by
the APC government that culminated in this ruling, as well as the
ridiculous Wednesday’s verdict of the Akwa-Ibom State governorship
election tribunal also sitting in Abuja.”
Metuh said the relocation of the
elections tribunals from their states to Abuja without any justification
and the alleged constant juggling of judicial officers and members of
governorship elections tribunal in PDP states, especially, Rivers and
Akwa-Ibom states, were part of the reasons.
Metuh said, “The bias in the judgment
against the PDP in Rivers as well as Akwa-Ibom is evidenced in the
contradictions inherent in the trial process of the two cases and the
verdicts therein, whereby the tribunals clearly disregarded standing
legal norm that a petitioner must establish proof of claims.
“Also curious is the fact that after
both the petitioner and respondent agreed before the tribunal that both
card reader and manual accreditations were used for the election, the
tribunal still went ahead to base its decision on issues of card reader.
“While it is convenient to them to use
legal technicalities to deny PDP victory in Imo, Lagos, Ogun and Yobe
states, the same rules are misapplied to wickedly favour APC petitioners
in Rivers and Akwa-Ibom States.
The APC however described the judgement as a deadly body blow to impunity and hooliganism.
In a statement issued in Lagos on
Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Lai Mohammed, the
party said the judgement has shown clearly that the era of impunity and
hooliganism is over, and that the only way for elections to have
legitimacy is for them to be free, fair and credible.
“What has come across from this
judgement is that there is no shortcut to free, fair and credible
elections. This is part of the wind of change that is blowing across the
land and touching all arms of government under the Administration of
President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Elections are about the expression of
the will of the people, and they must always be free to express
themselves, irrespective of what some desperate politicians may feel,’’
Mohammed said.
APC said politicians, especially those
seeking or occupying elective office, must realise that they can only
derive their legitimacy from the people.
The party hailed its governorship
candidate in Rivers, Mr. Dakuku Peterside, for his doggedness and strong
conviction in the pursuit of his petition against the election of Wike.
Peterside hails verdict
Peterside described the verdict as victory not just for democracy but also for justice and the rule of law.
He said this in his reaction to the tribunal’s sacking of the governor of the state, Mr. Nyesom Wike in Abuja on Saturday.
He said, “This judgment is resounding
because at last, we are vindicated. The journey no doubt was tortuous
but the suffering was worthwhile. It also shows that perseverance pays.
“This judgment no doubt also shows that
we must continue to have faith in our judiciary as the last hope of the
common man. I congratulate the good and long-suffering people of Rivers
State for standing up to impunity, executive rascality and intimidation
of the highest order.
“As we look forward to a fair contest, I urge our people to be calm and to continue to pray for our dear state.
“Under the last administration, our
people suffered all forms of indignities because of their political
leaning. Democracy is essentially about freedom and we must never, under
any circumstance lose our freedom again.
“This verdict has put a nail on the
coffin of electoral rascality, electoral violence, election fraud and
impunity. It has restored the faith of the resilient people of Rivers
State in the electoral process as a fair means of choosing leaders. I
particularly thank the people of Rivers State for their resilience
throughout this period.
Tribunal’s verdict not of God — Wike
Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike
however described the verdict against his election as a decision against
the people of the state adding that he would pursue the annulment of
his election to the Supreme Court.
Wike, who was addressing a crowd of
supporters at the Port Harcourt International Airport said the verdict
of the tribunal was not the verdict of God.
The governor stated that he had competent lawyers that could prosecute the case up to Supreme Court.
He maintained that he would never be intimidated to drop the mandate of the people.
“By my training, I am not supposed to
criticise any judge for whatever opinion the judge has. Thus, what I can
say is that the tribunal has given their own verdict, but we know that
by the special grace of God, that is not the verdict of God. Nobody can
take your mandate.
“All the gang-ups in Abuja are against
Rivers State, but we must protect the interest of this state. If they
like, let them use all the powers they have, but their power cannot be
superior to God’s power.
“I want to urge you to be calm and be
peaceful; I am still the governor of Rivers State. Our lawyers are going
on appeal; we are all going on appeal. There is also the Supreme
Court.”
“When the matter went to the Appeal
Court, the Appeal Court said that this issue of card reader has no place
in the Electoral Act. But today, I have heard that the card reader is
part of our Electoral Act as far as our own election tribunal is
concerned.
“They can say anything, but Rivers
people’s interest must be protected. Nobody will intimidate me to
abandon this state. If they like, let them summon the justices as they
have been doing. But one day, God’s own pronouncement come.”
The governorship candidate of the Labour
Party, Prince Tonye Princewill, however told Wike not to appeal the
tribunal’s judgment.
Princewill said in a statement on
Saturday, that even supporters of Wike knew that the governor would be
removed from office due to irregularities that he said characterised the
election.
He said, “If I were the PDP, I would not
even bother to appeal this judgment. I’d rather head back to the court
of public opinion. Ultimately that is where this matter will end.”
Meanwhile, there was wild jubilation in some parts of Port Harcourt among the supporters of the All Progressives Congress.
The Rivers State Police Command warned
against any form of violence following the nullification of the
governorship election in the state.
PUNCH