Rivers Polls: Tribunal Dismisses Suit Against PDP …Says Dawari George, Lucky Odili Were Never Candidates

Rivers State Deputy Governor, Dr (Mrs) Ipalibo Harry Banigo (right) listening to an address by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Somieari Isaac Harry JP (2nd right) while the Director, Public Health of the ministry, Dr Nnanna Onyekwere (left) watches, during her meeting with members of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, Rivers State chapter, at Government House, Port Harcourt.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday suffered a major setback when the Rivers State Elections Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja, dismissed the petitions filed by two candidates of the All Progressives Congress in the last general elections.
The two House of Representatives candidates of the APC, namely, Dr Dawari George and Mr Lucky Odili of  Asari-Toru/Akuku-Toru Federal Constituency and the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Federal Constituency respectively, had filed petitions challenging the victory of Hon. Boma Goodhead of Asari-Toru/Akuku-Toru Federal Constituency and Prince Nnam Obi of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Federal Constituency.
In the loftiness of its wisdom and in strict compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, the tribunal, in dismissing the suit, said that  in the eyes of the law, the APC had no candidates for the Asari-Toru/Akuku-Toru Federal Constituency and the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Federal Constituency, for breaching some procedural obligations as prescribed in the Electoral Act.
According to the Act, 21 days mandatory notice must be given to the Independent National Electoral Commission before the conduct of primaries – a provision, the APC flagrantly disobeyed.
On that premise, the tribunal ruled that since the 21 days mandatory notice was not given, the APC did not field candidates in the two constituencies and accordingly dismissed the petitions for lack of locus.
A statement signed by the Special Adviser to the State Governor on Media and Publicity, Opunabo Inko-Tariah, argued that relying on this, it is apparent that the APC will lose all the cases before the tribunal since the breach is not peculiar to George and Odili but an offence committed by the party in Rivers State, thus, affecting all candidates who contested on the platform of the APC.
“With this development, there are strong possibilities that the same fate that befell George and Odili, shall befall Dr Dakuku Peterside. Therefore, one can safely state that the petition against Governor Nyesom Wike by Peterside shall also be dismissed”, it added.
“This has further confirmed that the juridical seat notwithstanding, there are men of rectitude who will not compromise justice. This has also dissolved the fears in people that the Wike’s administration is a Caretaker one as his first four years in office is guaranteed.”