Rivers And The Tribunal Ruling

Until Thursday, October 22, 2015, the political temperature of Rivers State fluctuated with the fortunes of daily proceedings at the Justice Amborsa Pindiga-led governorship election tribunal sitting in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
At the end of proceedings on that fateful Thursday with the submission of the final written  addresses by both the complainant, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Dakuku Peterside and the respondent, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), INEC and Governor Nyesom Wike, Rivers people, residents in the State and keen followers of the gubernatorial tussle at the tribunal heaved a sigh of relief as the tribunal adjourned without a specific date for ruling. That relief was borne out of the presumption that they would have at least the better part of one whole week before judgement would be finally delivered.
However, before anyone could fully adjust to enjoy the reprieve occasioned by the adjournment, people were jolted out of their relaxing mode as news filtered in only the following day, Friday October 23, 2015 that the day of judgement had been fixed for Saturday, October 24, 2015. Indeed, many had thought that the final ruling on this matter could have been reserved for a much later date in difference to an expected ruling on Tuesday by the Court of Appeal on a case challenging the jurisdiction of this very tribunal.
Obviously, the thinking was that the tribunal would not deviate from the path taken by the Code of Conduct Tribunal which, only days earlier, had adjourned its trial of the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki to make room for a judgement of the Court of Appeal on a case instituted by Dr. Saraki, challenging the jurisdiction of the tribunal to try him.
Clearly, Justice Pindiga was under no obligation to follow that path and he did not consider it. But that decision quickly changed the political temperature in Rivers State to an all time high. As the political blood pressure rose, people in Rivers State got into a frenzy, adjusting and re-adjusting themselves to accommodate whatever judgement day would bring. Indeed , no one could precisely predict the direction the pendulum would swing and no one could as well foretall how Rivers people and residents of the state would react to the decision.
Of course, this did not stop politicians and political pundits from talking. Politicians on both divides talked with cautious optimism while political analysts softened up and refrained From taking very strong position s this time around. However, the people remained quiet, not knowing what to expect from the tribunal and what could accompany whatever would come from the pronouncement. It was therefore with bated breath that the entire Rivers State (and followers of the state political situation across the world) awaited the judgement of the Rivers State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal on Saturday, October 24, 2015.
Expectedly, the news of the tribunal’s cancellation of the April 11, 2015 gubernatorial election in Rivers State was received differently by different groups with different reactions. While some welcomed and hailed the decision, others rejected and condemned it, all of them with varied reasons for their positions.
Those that support the judgement with the APC that the declared result of the April 11 election in the state was not a true reflection of the collective will of the people of Rivers State as the election, they allege was marred by violence and general electoral irregularities. On the flip side are those who strongly believe with the PDP that the election was free, fair, credible and the result faithfully represented the collective desire of the Rivers people. This group, also, are of the opinion that whatever irregularities observed and recorded were not sufficient to declare the election and the  result therefrom null, void and of no effect.
A frontline politician and businessman, Prince Tonye Princewill is reported to have said that the PDP was clearly in pole position to win the election ahead of all other political parties that took part in the disputed election.
However, Prince Princeiwll who was the governorship candidate of the Labour Party in the said election agreed with the position  of the tribunal to nullify the election and order a re-run of the same because according to him, he and others were prevented from going out to their polling units to freely cast their ballots due to widespread violence. He said eventhough the PDP could have won fair and square, he could not affirm the result posted because he believed that it could not be a true reflection of actual votes cast.
Ofcoruse, the Chairman of the Labour Party in Rivers State has since disowned the position of Prince Princewill, insisting that the election has been lost and won and therefore sees no need for a re-run as ordered by the tribunal and supported by the party’s flagbearer.
Remarkably, however, the news of the tribunal’s judgement was received by resounding quietness by the generality of Rivers people and residents of the state. Many schools of thought have since given various interpretations to the general calm and quiet that attended the profound pronouncement b y Justice Pindiga. While some have posited that the people generally went about their businesses because they had resigned to fate and therefore did not care much about who won or lost, others have said that the people were very much alive to what was happening and merely hid their apprehensions about the probability of emotional outbursts and their possible consequences.
Yet another school of thought believes that the people were dumb-struck because the judgement did not meet their expectation. There are still others who are of the opinion that the reaction, or absence of it, of the people was an indication of their understanding that this was only the first and not the last of expected judicial pronouncements on the case.
Rivers people and those resident and doing  business in the state are united in their appreciation and commendation of the way and manner the adversaries in the matter responded to the decision of the tribunal with civility, maturity and great sense of responsibility. It is not lost on the people that both parties in the tussle duly recognised the tensed atmosphere and refrained and restrained themselves and their supporters from behaviours that could have easily  ignited violence and violent reactions.
The people are happy with the PDP and its supporters for managing their anger and frustration occasioned by the unfavourable outcome of the decision of the tribunal in a manner that is civilized, lawful and conflict sensitive. The people are equally happy with the APC and its supporters for managing their victory at the tribunal in a manner that was neither provocative nor insensitive to the feeling of the opponents and the need for peace and harmony in the state.
To both parties, Rivers people are grateful for the high level of respect and regard accorded them in the way they (the parties in the dispute) have conducted themselves so far and committed themselves too to constitutional means only in seeking resolution to this very vexious issue. The prayer of Rivers people is that all parties will resist the temptation of raising personal and sectional interests higher than the overall common good of the collective interest of Rivers State and its people.