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Rivers Guber: Set Aside Tribunal Judgement, Wike, INEC Urge Court
The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has filed an appeal at the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, asking the court to set aside the judgment of the Rivers State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, which nullified his election on October 24, 2015.
In a notice of appeal dated November 3, 2015, and filed same day by his lawyer, Emmanuel Ukala (SAN), the governor raised 26 grounds of appeal upon which he sought to set aside the tribunal judgment.
The governor is challenging the entire judgment.
He joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate in Rivers State, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), as respondents.
He asked the court to allow the appeal and to make an order setting aside the judgment/decision of the Rivers State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.
He further urged the Court of Appeal to make an “order striking out or dismissing the petition filed on May 3, 2015 by Peterside and the APC.”
The governor in his notice of appeal stated: “Take notice that the appellant being dissatisfied with the decision of the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal for Rivers State sitting in Abuja, contained in the judgment of the tribunal led by Justice Suleiman Ambrosa (chairman), Justice Wesley Ibrahim Leha (member) and Hon. Justice Bayo Taiwo (member ) sitting in Court No. 23 of the FCT High Court dated October 24, 2015, doth hereby appeal to the Court of Appeal upon the grounds set out in paragraph 3, and will at the hearing, seek the reliefs set out in paragraph 4.”
Wike, among other grounds, noted that the tribunal erred in law when it relied on hearsay and inadmissible evidence to nullify his election.
He added that the finding and conclusion of the tribunal was not supported by evidence before the court.
The governor stated in his notice of appeal: “The Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal for Rivers State erred in law when it refused to follow the decision of the Supreme Court in the case of Kakih vs PDP (2014) 5 NWLR which was duly cited to it to the effect that a party who makes non-voting or misconduct of an election the pivot of his case must call at least one disenfranchised voter from each of the polling booths or units or stations in the constituency.”
Wike also faulted the tribunal’s decision nullifying his election on the basis of card reader accreditation even though the Electoral Act recognised manual accreditation.
According to him, the proof of accreditation of voters under the law is by the production of the register of voters bearing the indications of the presiding officer as to the persons accredited to vote and not by card reader report.
The governor said: “The tribunal wrongly neglected, failed and refused to abide by and follow the binding decision of the Court of Appeal in APC vs Olujimi Agbaje : Appeal No: CA/L/EP/GOV./751A/2015 (unreported ) delivered on 26th August, which was duly cited to it and thereby came to a wrong conclusion.”
He added that the petitioners at the tribunal failed to disclose any reasonable cause of action against the respondents and the tribunal failed to conduct a pre-trial conference after the removal of the first chairman, hence the tribunal erred in its judgment.
The governor stated: “The tribunal wrongly countenanced the testimony of delegates of subpoenaed witnesses which basically constitutes an indirect alteration of or addition to the statement of facts of the petition without the leave of the court. The testimonies of these witnesses run counter to the pleaded case of the petitioners and contradict the rest of the evidence of the petitioners’ witnesses in several material particulars.”
Similarly, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has also filed an appeal against the judgment of the Rivers State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal nullifying the election of Governor Nyesom Wike.
The electoral body filed her appeal dated 4th of November, 2015, at the Court of Appeal, Abuja Judicial Division on 5th November, 2015.
In a 12-ground appeal filed on behalf of INEC by her counsel, Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, the electoral body challenged the entirety of the tribunal’s judgment.
The reliefs sought by INEC in her appeal include: “an order allowing the appeal, an order setting aside the decision of the tribunal and an order dismissing the petition as lacking in merit”.
According to INEC, the learned justices of the tribunal erred in law when it failed to evaluate the evidence of each of the witnesses called by the petitioners before reaching its decision.
INEC stated that: “The tribunal was obligated to making findings as to where elections were said to have held on the one part and where they were alleged not to have held on the other part”.
The electoral body further stated that the tribunal erred when it resorted to generic declaration like “many instances”, when the justices were obligated to specify where the evidence elicited under cross examination enhanced the case of the first and second respondents.
The INEC further stated that the tribunal erred when it used the testimonies of witnesses who were not at polling stations to nullify the Rivers State governorship election.
INEC, in her appeal, stated that: “Evidence of reports at an election by persons who did not make them and who did not observe the proceedings, the subject matter of the reports cannot be substitute for evidence of witnesses in the polling units of Rivers State.
“Exhibits A303-A305, A307 and A2 are documentary hearsay, which ought not to be relied upon as proof of the allegations of non-conduct and improper conduct of election in the polling units in Rivers State”.
INEC stated that the tribunal disregarded Section 49 (1) and (2) of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended, which is a statutory provision binding on it, and further added that the decision of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal on the law, were duly cited to the tribunal, but it ignored same.
According to INEC, there was no due evaluation of the 56 witnesses called by the petitioners, pointing out that the witnesses who testified did not link their testimonies to the documents tendered.
INEC added that the tribunal erred in law when it failed to indicate that the petitioners failed to prove their case on a polling unit by polling unit basis as required by law.
The electoral body added that the tribunal erred when it failed to demonstrate the reasons why it rejected the evidences professed by witnesses of INEC, PDP and Wike.
The Senate has announced that it will hold an emergency plenary sitting tomorrow (Tuesday).
The announcement was made yesterday in a statement signed by the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Odo, who said all senators have been requested to attend.
“The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has directed the reconvening of plenary for an emergency sitting on Tuesday, February 10th, 2026,” the statement read.
The session is scheduled to commence at 12 noon.
This comes just days after the Senate passed the amendment bill on February 4, but voted down Clause 60(3), which would have required presiding officers to electronically transmit results from polling units directly to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing portal in real time.
The rejected clause aimed to make the process mandatory.
The lawmaker replaced it with the current discretionary “transfer” of results, which allows electronic transmission only after votes are counted and publicly announced at polling units.
Civil society groups and opposition figures in the country have condemned the Senate’s decision, labelling it a setback for Nigeria’s democratic progress.
Senate President Akpabio has, however, defended the Senate’s actions, insisting during a public event that the Senate did not reject electronic transmission and vowing not to be intimidated.
Tomorrow’s emergency sitting could see the Senate reconsider the rejected amendment amid public outcry and potential legal challenges from figures such as lawyer Femi Falana, with possible implications for Nigeria’s democratic processes and the balance between incumbency protections and verifiable voting technology.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has petitioned the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to investigate members of the Senate and other public officers over alleged irregularities in the passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill and the Tax Reform Laws.
According to a statement issued yesterday by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation is seeking a prompt, thorough, and effective probe into claims that some senators removed provisions on electronic transmission of election results from the Electoral Act Amendment Bill during plenary, despite a majority having voted for their inclusion and without any debate on the proposed removal.
“According to our information, certain members of the Senate allegedly removed the provisions on electronic transmission of election results from the Electoral Act Amendment Bill during plenary after the majority of the senators had voted for the inclusion of the provisions and without any debate on the proposed removal of the said provisions,” SERAP said.
The organisation also requested the CCB to investigate alterations in the Tax Reform Bills, which reportedly led to discrepancies between the harmonised versions passed by the National Assembly and the copies signed into law and gazetted by the Federal Government.
“Similarly, the National Assembly recently alleged that there are unlawful alterations and some material differences between the tax reform bills passed by the legislative body and the tax reform laws gazetted by the Federal Government.
“A Sokoto lawmaker, Abdussamad Dasuki, raised the issue under a matter of privilege, drawing the attention of the House to the alleged discrepancies between the harmonised versions of the tax reform bills passed by both chambers of the National Assembly and the copies gazetted by the Federal Government.
“The lawmakers said the alterations contained in the gazetted copies did not receive legislative approval. These alleged unlawful alterations raise questions over the legality and legitimacy of both the law-making processes and the versions of the tax laws circulated by the Federal Ministry of Information,” the petition added.
The Senate had denied removing the provisions on electronic transmission of election results, saying it only removed the term “real time” from the sentence, citing judicial concerns.
Similarly, the National Assembly had initiated investigations into the alleged discrepancies in the tax bill and released a “certified” version of the Acts to address the contradictions. The law took effect on January 1, 2026.
SERAP said the petition is submitted under paragraphs 1 and 9 of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers contained in the Fifth Schedule, Part 1 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and sections 5 and 13 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act.
It alleged that the processes leading to the passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill and the signing of the Tax Reform Laws were marked by alterations to bill provisions without debate and due process of law, as well as alterations to the Tax Reform Bill without the approval of the National Assembly.
“The petition raises issues of conflict of interest, abuse of office, non-disclosure of interests, lack of due process, and erosion of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers in the exercise of legislative power.
“There are also allegations that certain amendments may have been removed or introduced to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill and the Tax Reform Laws to serve private or political interests rather than the public interest,” the petition reads.
Citing the Constitution, SERAP noted that public officers must not place themselves in situations where personal interests conflict with official duties.
Specifically, the organisation asked the Bureau to formally register the petition and “promptly, thoroughly, transparently, and effectively investigate the conduct of the lawmakers and officers of the executive branch allegedly involved;
“Examine whether inducements, benefits, or promises were offered or received in connection with those acts;
“Examine whether the alleged cumulative conduct of lawmakers and officers of the executive branch amounted to abuse of legislative power, conflict of interest, and breach of due process, contrary to the Code of Conduct for Public Officers;
“Refer any substantiated violations to the Code of Conduct Tribunal; and
“Take all necessary steps to uphold the principle that public office is a public trust.”
The petition requested that the Bureau consider the complaint within seven days, warning that legal action could follow if there is no response.
Dated February 7, 2026, the petition was signed by Oluwadare and sent to the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau, Mr Abdullahi Bello.
The Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS), Rivers State Branch, has expanded its humanitarian footprint in Rivers State with the formal inauguration of student volunteers at Command Children School (CCS), Bori Camp, Port Harcourt, marking a significant step in promoting humanitarian values among young Nigerians.
The ceremony, which took place at the school premises, officially admitted CCS students into the Nigerian Red Cross Society.
The Rivers State Branch Representative of the Red Cross Society, Mr Noah Idegbesor, disclosed this in his opening remarks at the occasion.
In a symbolic display, the students marched to the flag stand alongside members of the high table and the Branch Representative, where the Red Cross flag was hoisted, signifying the school’s full induction into the Nigerian Red Cross Society.
With the flag raised, CCS was formally declared a member institution of the NRCS.
As part of the inauguration, a certificate of affiliation was presented to the school by the Nigerian Red Cross Society and received on behalf of the school by the Head Teacher, Mrs Onwuzuruigbo Taiwo.
Speaking as Chairman of the occasion, the Acting Director, Nigerian Army 6 Division Education Services, Port Harcourt, Lt. Col. A. Sadiq, described the event as very unique and significant.
Represented by Staff Sergeant Arisa Eberechi, the Director assured of the support of his team in ensuring success of the endeavour.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) of the school, Mr Zuru Daniel, said the establishment of the Red Cross unit in the school was a welcome development and assured of the support of the body to ensure its sustainability.
The event also featured a parade by the volunteers, freewill donations from dignitaries and parents in attendance, underscoring community support for the humanitarian initiative.
Speaking earlier, the Head Teacher, Mrs Onwuzuruigbo Taiwo, described the inauguration as an emotional and fulfilling moment.
“It was awesome. We thought it would not be possible, but today it was glorious,” she said.
Taiwo explained that the school’s participation in the Red Cross Society began when management decided to introduce clubs and societies.
“I told my assistant that I wanted the Red Cross to be one of them. The Red Cross signifies many things; it is service to humanity,” she added.
Also, the Assistant Head Teacher, Mrs Bawo Agbana, expressed appreciation to dignitaries, officials of the Nigerian Red Cross Society and parents for their support and presence.
The Assistant Head Teacher (Administration) described the programme as overwhelming and exciting, expressing gratitude to God for its success.
She said the school’s decision to embrace the Red Cross Society was driven by the need to instill values of love, kindness and service in children from an early age.
“Our impression of the Red Cross is being good to people, showing love and kindness. As the children grow, we want to build the spirit of humanity in them so they can show love and care in school, their communities and Nigeria at large,” she said, adding that early training was crucial given current challenges in the country.
She also delivered the closing remark, after which a photo session was held with the newly inaugurated student volunteers.
Other dignitaries at the occasion include Chairman, Python Officers’ Mess, 6 Division, Port Harcourt, Chief Dan Harrison, and the Sualla 1 of Adagbabiri Kingdom, Chief Col. K. Agbana (Rtd.),
Speaking in an interview at the event, 10-year-old primary five pupil, Precious Ote, said she volunteered to join the Red Cross Society because of her desire to help and care for people.
Similarly, 11-year-old Eno Marvellous of Primary Four expressed excitement at becoming a member of the Red Cross Society, noting that her hope is “to save” lives.
The inauguration highlights ongoing efforts by the Nigerian Red Cross Society to nurture a culture of volunteerism, compassion and humanitarian service among schoolchildren in Port Harcourt and beyond.
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