Rivers Assembly Election: PDP Floors ACN Again

The Rivers State House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Port Harcourt last Thursday, dismissed the petition filed by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate for Degema constituency in the April 2011 election Dr Odiki George challenging the victory of Hon Tonye Harry of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The tribunal dismissed the petition on the grand that the petitioner failed to filled the pre-hearing notice on time as stipulated in the 2010 amended electoral Act.

Delivering the judgment, the chairman of he tribunal, Justice Ismaila Haruna stated that the time of filling of pre-hearing notice by the petitioner falls short of the provision in the electional Act therefore, the petition lacks merit.

The chairman therefore, dismissed the plaintiff respondent and upheld the election of the PDP candidate, Hon Tonye Harry as the winner of the April 23 2011 state assembly election.

Earlier in an interview, the counsel to the former speaker of the state house of assembly and the respondent, Barrister Isaac Kamalu commended the tribunal on what he described as a sound judgement adding that, time was of an essential ingredient in the law.