Army Plans To Disrupt March 9 Polls -Wike …As Court Sacks Lulu-Briggs From Accord Party

The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has declared that the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army has concluded plans to disrupt the March 9, 2019 Governorship and State Assembly elections in the state.
Wike said that the 6 Division has mapped out local government areas where they will initiate violence to ensure that elections were not conducted like they did during the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Addressing journalists in Port Harcourt, yesterday, Wike said: “They are plotting to cause crisis, so that the Governorship and State Assembly will be cancelled.
“That is what the 6 Division is planning”.
He said despite the militarisation of the elections, there are areas that some political parties cannot win because they are the strongholds of the PDP.
“Did APC win the Presidential election in Rivers State? It doesn’t matter what they do, they will not win.
“There are areas that are no go areas. You don’t kill people simply because you want to win. Look at how they shed innocent blood because they want to get 25percent or they want to satisfy the ego of one or two individuals”, he said.
Wike said that the PDP in Rivers State was prepared for the elections, saying that the party campaigned and interfaced with Rivers people.
“We have been prepared for these elections. There is no party that campaigned the way we did. Nobody is more prepared for the elections”, he said.
He added: “You cannot change the will of the people. It is difficult”.
Wike has revived Rivers State through massive infrastructural projects, empowerment and economic development programmes.
Meanwhile, a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, yesterday, sacked Mr Dumo Lulu Briggs as the governorship candidate of Accord Party in the 2019 governorship election on March 9, 2019.
The court declared that Mr Precious Baridoo, who was duly nominated during the October 4, 2018 Accord Party governorship primary is the authentic candidate of the party. Similarly, the Court of Appeal sitting in Calabar, Cross River State, has granted a stay of execution on the order which reaffirmed candidates of the All Progressives’ Congress in Cross River State, namely Senator John Owan-Enoh, Senator Ndoma-Egba and others published by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The Appeal Court panel headed by Justice A. M Uwade frowned at INEC misinterpretation of her earlier order of February 20, which directed that parties to maintain “Status quo ante” pending determination of the substantive case.
The appellate court unanimously agreed that the stay of execution order earlier granted subsists in the interest of justice as evident in the affidavit and counter affidavit in the subject matter of the appeal, suit CA/C/62/2019.
Senator Owan-Enoh is contesting the elections of March 9, as the governorship candidate of APC in the state while Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, contested the elections for the Central senatorial district of Cross River State but the election was inconclusive.
In Rivers State, trial judge, Justice Emmanuel Obile declared that Mr Dumo Lulu-Briggs cannot participate in the governorship election because he was not duly nominated at the party’s primary. Justice Obile said that Lulu Briggs did not participate in the party’s October 4, 2018 governorship primary, hence he cannot be their candidate.
The court stated that the defendants failed to challenge the affidavit of the plaintiff to controvert the facts contained therein. Justice Obile ordered INEC, to enlist the name of Precious Baridoo as the Rivers State governorship candidate of Accord Party.
The court directed INEC to remove the name of Dumo Lulu Briggs as the Rivers State governorship candidate of Accord Party .
It will be recalled Sir Precious Baridoo, who headed to court, had argued that he was duly nominated during the party’s governorship primaries on October 4, 2018 before he was illegally substituted with the name of Lulu Briggs who didn’t participate in the party’s governorship primaries.
He argued that Lulu Briggs cannot claim to be the governorship candidate of Accord Party when he was not even a member of the party. Counsel to Precious Baridoo, Mr Wori Wori, described the judgment as victory for democracy.
He said that the rules of political engagement must be respected. Lawyer to Dumo Lulu Briggs said that they will challenge the judgment at the Court of Appeal.