LG Boss Opposes Move To Withdraw Petition

The chairman of Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, Hon. Orom Nte Ereforokuma has rejected pressure from some groups to urge All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) to withdraw its petition  challenging his election at the election tribunal.

The secretary to the council Barr. Erastus Awortu who gave the hints to The Tide at the weekend in Port Harcourt, said Hon. Nte Ereforokuma of People Democratic Party (PDP) has indicated his preparedness to challenge the APGA petition at the election tribunal to allow justice and rule of law to prevail on the April local government election in the area.

He said that some groups including members of APGA have mounted pressure on the APGA candidate during the last local government election, Chief Rawlings Nte, to withdraw petition before the election tribunal in Port Harcourt challenging the victory of Hon.Orom Nte Ereforokuma.

Barr. Awortu remarked that the call was based on the fact that the election of April 2011 in the area,  according to some members of APGA, was the most free and fair election ever conducted since the creation of the council.

However, an APGA chieftain in the area who does not want to be mentioned claimed that their party chairmanship candidate, Chief R. Nte had yielded to the call of some party members but want the elected council boss to settle their candidate and the party with some parts of expenses incurred during the election.

But he said that the council chairman, Hon. Ereforokuma rejected the condition given by APGA candidate, and insisted that the matter be allowed to settle in the tribunal for fairness and justice to prevail.

It would be recalled that APGA candidate, Chief Rawlings Nte in June 2011 petitioned the Local Government Election Tribunal set up in May 2011, challenging the victory of Hon. Ereforokuma of PDP.

Enoch Epelle