Wike’s Supreme Court magic

APC: It’s temporary setback

PDP: We did not insult the judiciary

Wike: We will now work to take back power at the centre

Governor Nyesom Wike of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has won a landmark endorsement at the Supreme Court to continue in office without any rerun, and his media aides now say they never insulted the judiciary in the place. The governor’s former special adviser, Opunaboh Inko-Tariah, had accused the judiciary of what he had called judicial gang-up when the tribunal annulled the election. When the Court of Appeal upheld the annulment, he further called it ‘judicial terrorism’. The heat from this assault on the judiciary led to Inko-Tariah’s resignation.
Now that the Wike camp seems to be happy, they have come out to say they never insulted the judiciary.

The governor’s new media aide, Simeon Nwkaudu, told a Port Harcourt radio station live from Abuja after the Supreme Court verdict that the judiciary has defended Nigeria’s democracy.
Now, both the losers and winners have reacted to the outcome of the Supreme Court judgement. Dakuku Peterside of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had dragged Wike to the tribunal where the election was annulled, before the Supreme Court hammer last Thursday.

Reacting, the APC’s boss, Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, said this was a temporary setback but that it would continue to play meaningful opposition role in the state. The party said the struggle to retrieve the mandates of its candidates including that of the governorship candidate hijacked in the 2015 sham elections led to various rulings by the election petition tribunals and Appeal Courts which annulled and ordered for the rerun elections for 22 State Assembly positions out of 32, all three Senatorial seats and 12 out of 13 House of Representatives seats.

The party said ordinarily, such large-scale annulment should have logically led to upholding the annulment of the governorship election as pronounced by the Tribunal and the Appeal Court. “While we are neither applauding nor condemning the decision of the apex court, we can only give thanks and adoration to God Almighty whose wisdom surpasses that of man. It is our belief that whatever appears to be a setback now is only temporary as we will soon re-assert our pride of place in the political milieu of Rivers State and Nigeria. It must surely end in praise!”

The party boss stated: “We call on all our brothers and sisters who recently saw the light and joined us to serve our people to know that they made the right decision as we all will create and enhance a working synergy that will transcend the present times in service to our people.

“Finally, I urge all members of the APC in Rivers State to remain calm, focused and ready for the task ahead of us as party leaders and supporters at our various units, LGAs and the State. In all things, they should continue to give God all glory and adorations as that which is ahead is greater than that behind us”.

On his own, Wike, who last Friday thanked the people of the state in a broadcast, told visiting PDP national officials that the Judiciary is the only hope of the country, and that if the judiciary should crumble, the nation would be gone.

Speaking when the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, led by the acting national chairman, Uche Secondus, paid him a congratulatory visit on Thursday at the Government House, Port Harcourt, Wike said that the Supreme Court passed judgment based on the constitution, while the lower courts aired opinions in the Rivers State Governorship election.
He said that the people of Rivers State remain confident in the ability of the Judiciary to do justice. The governor noted that Rivers State would remain a PDP state as the party is part of the political life of the state which cannot be easily erased.

Governor Wike assured the leadership of the PDP of his support and that of Rivers State to ensure the resolution of the party’s challenges and set it on the path of recovery. “As a party in opposition, we must put our house in order, so that within the shortest possible time, the PDP will return to power at the Federal level “, the Governor said. This has probably put to rest insinuations in some quarters that the governor had reached a secret deal with the national APC lord to move the state to the APC sometime in the near future and thus become the state leader of the party in Rivers State and upstage Amaechi again.

Earlier, Secondus described the Supreme Court judgment as a landmark ruling which would positively affect the country and the political arena.

Also speaking, the Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the PDP, Senator Jubril Wahlid said that the judgment of the Supreme Court affirmed the will of the Rivers State.

 

Ignatius Chukwu