A Port Harcourt Chief Magistrate Court  presided over by Mr. Andrew Jaja yesterday granted the Rivers State Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Samuel Nwanosike and three others bail on self recognition.
The court also ordered the Police to hand over the case file to the State government for the prosecution of the accused persons.
Others admitted to bail on self recognition include, Hon. Roland Charles Sekibo, Darlington Orji and Chief Odiari Princewill.
The court however, admitted the rest 31 accused persons to bail in the sum of N100,000 each with three sureties who must all be residents in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
The accused persons were arraigned on a three-count charge bordering on misdemeanor, unlawful assembly, acts capable of causing fear and panic, all classified as electoral offences. They however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The presiding Chief Magistrate made the orders following a bail application brought by Mr. Wori N. for the 1st – 4th and Ekine Ibelekuru for the 5th – 35th accused persons as well as the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mr. Otorubio Ibikiri who appeared for the State.
Counsels to the accused persons had urged the court to grant their clients bail on a liberal terms, adding that offences for which they were charged were bailable.
The 1-4th accused people counsel prayed the court to grant his clients bail on self recognition based on their positions in the state, pointing that they had all served as past local government council chairmen in the state.
In his own submission, the Director Public Prosecution (DPP) told the court that the State government, in accordance with the law, was taking over the case and urged the court to order the Police to hand over the case file to the state.
However, Counsel to the Police, Inspector Amadi did not oppose the bail application of the accused persons or the taking over of the case file by the State government. He only told the court that some stringent measures should be attached to the bail conditions.
The presiding Chief Magistrate, after listening to the various submissions of the counsels consequently granted the accused bail as well as directed the Police to hand over the case file to the State government.
Before adjourning the matter to march 9, 2017 for hearing, the presiding magistrate supervised the handing over of the case file by the Police to the state government.
Speaking to journalists after regaining their freedom, Samuel Nwanosike and Roland Sekibo thanked God for their release, adding that they were detained and charged to court for offences they never committed.
They also accused the military and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State for making false allegations against them, adding that they were in Etche on lawful duties during the election.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, says information at its disposal has revealed secret plans to frame up incriminating charges against the party’s State Publicity Secretary, Samuel Nwanosike, and other PDP chieftains unlawfully arrested by the military during last weekend’s re-run election in Etche local government area.
Alarmed by the desperation of those who want the PDP’s publicity secretary silenced by any means, the State PDP chairman, Bro Felix Obuah in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Jerry Needam stated categorically that the party’s chieftains and officials duly accredited for the election are innocent, alleging that their transfer to the State Criminal Investigation Dept (CID) was influenced by a well-known All Progressives Congress, APC chieftain in the State who had always wanted Mr. Nwanosike dead.
The State PDP chairman believes the dust being thrown into the eyes of the investigating police officers is born out of hate and bitterness against the arrested PDP chieftains and the singular desire to find cause to nail MrNwanosike for refusing the APC to carry out their sinister plans.
Even as they are being illegally detained under inhuman conditions at the State CID, he noted that pressures are being mounted on the security men to transfer them to Abuja in order to deny them further access to their families, the State PDP boss noted.
“We insist Mr Samuel Nwanosike and the three others are innocent and were officially in Etche during the re-run election as our party agents for the purpose of monitoring the election and duly acted within the ambit of the law.
“Their arrest no doubt, is a clear case of a witch-hunt and the identity of the person behind all the trumped-up charges and travails of the party officers is not lost on us.
“We hold him and his co-horts strictly responsible for whatever happens to Mr. Nwanosike and the other three chieftains.
“We are however convinced that our security men are now wiser and know those raising the dust in the State for their selfish interests, and wish to appeal to them to thread the path of reasonableness by releasing all the party chieftains unconditionally”, Obuah added.