Mixed feelings trail Rivers governorship election tribunal ruling

Wike vows to fight until justice prevails

A cross section of Rivers people on Sunday expressed mixed feelings concerning the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal’s nullification of Governor Nyesom Wike’s election.

While some see the judgement as a welcome development, others view it as a bad omen.

Ben Orlu, a resident of Port Harcourt, told News Agency of Nigeria that the judgement was fair and unbiased, saying the tribunal’s judgement was an indication of a future with credible elections in the state.

He, however, said honest residents of the state did not see the judgement of the tribunal as an unexpected one in view of what transpired during the governorship election.

Meanwhile, the political tension in the state continues as the governor, Nyesom Wike, vows to fight on till the last court in the land, saying he would never give up the mandate given to him by the people of the state.

 

Wike told a crowd that welcomed him at the Port Harcourt International Airport at Omagwa that he would not be intimidated by anybody, saying he was sure to win a thousand times should the election be repeated.

He told the party supporters that he had the best legal team that was pursuing the case, urging his supporters to remain calm while justice would take its course.

Wike, flanked by top Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by the national chairman, said the tribunal went against key decisions already decided by the Court of Appeal, saying he was sure the higher courts would upturn the decision.

He specifically said the Court of Appeal had given its position on the use of card readers but that the tribunal ignored such a key issue, also mentioning the vexed issue of pre-election qualification, saying the Court of Appeal had already taken a position on that, in which case the All Progressives Congress (APC) should have no candidate in the election.

The Labour Party candidate, Tonye Princewill, advised against appealing the judgement, urging the governor to go face a fresh election, while the APC in the state said it had been vindicated in the claim that there was no voting in the state.

Earlier, the state PDP chairman, Felix Obuah, said the party was capable of winning the election any time it was called up, but assured that the party would appeal the tribunal judgement.

The governor’s senior special adviser on media and publicity, Opunabo Inko-Tariah, told newsmen that the tribunal gave the verdict it was told to give, saying the decision stood justice on its head.

However, another resident, Lawrence Chinda, described the judgement as biased and unfair, saying He said that his opinion was based on his conviction that the governorship election in the state actually held.

Chinda described Wike’s victory in the governorship election as a demonstration of Rivers State’s support for PDP.

He expressed confidence that Wike would win the fresh governorship election that would be organised within the next 90 days as ordered by the tribunal.

According to him, Wike’s achievements in less than 100 days of his being in office, is a clear indication that he is the man of the people.

In her reaction, Joy Terry, another resident of Port Harcourt, said that the judgement would offer some of the voters who missed out in the last election the opportunity to exercise their voting rights.

Terry, therefore, advised Rivers people to decide their future wisely by voting the right candidate in the fresh election.

She, however, acknowledged that Wike had the right to seek redress in the appeal court and the Supreme Court.