The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has insisted that nobody ran election against him and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the March 9, 2019 Governorship election.
Wike and other Rivers leaders proceeded to the Government House Chapel of Everlasting Grace for Thanksgiving on the tribunal judgment that affirmed his victory.
Reacting to the Rivers State Governorship Election Tribunal judgement, Wike said but for reliance on connection, all PDP candidates had no opponents in the state.
The governor said: “It is so painful that someone could say that no election held in Rivers State. There was nobody who ran the election against us.
“But for connection, how can anyone say he ran election against us in Rivers State”.
Wike said that he would never be distracted by the antics of the opposition, as he will continue to promote the interest of Rivers State.
“I will never be distracted. I will do everything in the interest of Rivers State. I will continue to work. Nothing will distract me”, he said.
The Rivers State governor expressed happiness that justice has been done in the petition, and thanked his legal team for their commitment.
Ahmed Raji, SAN, attributed the victory to God who has brought the state thus far, saying that from the very beginning, God showed His hand in favour of Rivers State.
Raji said that God crowned the efforts of the legal team with success, emphasising that the judgment was a judicial confirmation of the votes of Rivers people.
Also speaking, Ferdinand Orbih (SAN) said Wike was a winner anytime, stressing that what God has done, nobody can change it.
In his remarks, National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus congratulated Wike on his victory at the tribunal, adding that justice has been served on Rivers people through the judgment.
Secondus said that in a normal setting, nobody would challenge the victory in court, because Rivers people spoke clearly.
Earlier, the Rivers State Governorship Election Tribunal had affirmed the re-election of Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike following the dismissal of the petition filed by the defeated African Action Congress (AAC) Governorship Candidate, Engineer Biokpomabo Awara seeking the nullification of the March 9, Rivers State Governorship Election.
Also on Saturday, the tribunal dismissed the petition filed by the defeated Action Democratic Party (ADP) Governorship Candidate, Mr Victor Fingesi against the election of Wike.
“We affirm the election of Nyesom Wike as duly elected”, the tribunal declared.
The tribunal said that both petitioners failed to prove their petitions beyond reasonable doubt, and stressed that they failed to adduce evidence to prove that the election was marred by violence and irregularities.
The judgment of the tribunal in the AAC petition was read by Justice K. B. Olawoyin.
The said that Wike won 19 out of the 21 local government areas where elections held, while the petitioner won in two local government areas.
The tribunal said the petitioner failed to call any witness to give credible evidence that there were malpractices during the election that favoured Wike.
It also held that the first petitioner can no longer lead any general and nebulous evidence on violence.
The tribunal noted that what was suspended was the collation of results for six local government areas, insisting that as at the time of the suspension of collation, INEC had concluded collation of results in 17 local government areas.
The Rivers State Governorship Election Tribunal stated that by participating in the collation process, the petitioner waited his right to complain.
The tribunal said that the petitioner called 20 witnesses, adding that it had earlier struck out the evidence of two witnesses.
It ruled that the results tendered by the petitioner, Engineer Biokpomabo Awara while giving evidence were inadmissible, and therefore, expunged from the records.
According to the tribunal, the AAC Governorship Candidate tendered certified true copy of the state Governorship Election and the declaration of results by INEC, stating that neither Awara nor any of his witnesses tendered any results different from that of INEC.
The tribunal said Awara failed to call his polling unit agents to testify, even though he admitted that they were all alive, and held that PW3 to 19 who testified were alleged ward or local government agents, whose testimonies have been found not to be credible.
It added that even the results tendered by Awara had no names of polling unit agents, no signatures of polling unit agents and had no INEC stamp, and therefore, declared the said results inadmissible and of no value.
The tribunal ruled that the petitioner witness three (PW3) was not a credible witness; hence his evidence was disregarded, and held that the evidence of PW3 was contrary to the petitioner’s pleadings in his petition.
It further said that Exhibits AA1 to A12 tendered by PW4 were inadmissible in evidence, because PW4 was not the maker, and ruled that the documents were dumped on tribunal, with no polling agents called to give evidence.
While expunging the exhibits from its records, the tribunal said that the evidence of PW4 has no value as it has not proved any electoral malpractice.
The evidence of PW6 of the AAC Governorship Candidate was discredited under cross-examination, the tribunal noted, adding that the evidence of PW6 contradicted his answers during cross examination.
The tribunal noted that PW6 said that the election was peaceful, but insisted that PW6 was not a credible witness, as he lied under oath.
According to the tribunal, aside the names of the witnesses and their respective wards, the witness statements of all of them were the same and each had seven paragraphs.
It held that the evidence of PW7 and the Ward Collation Agent in Omuma LGA, Stanley Nweke, was at variance with the pleadings of the petitioner, and held that the evidence of PW7 was of no value, and therefore, discountenanced.
The tribunal also threw out the evidence of PW9, Henry Iyalla, whose name was not found in INEC’s official list of collation agents, and described him as an imposter, just as it said that Iyalla’s evidence did not contradict the fact that election held in Degema LGA.
On PW10, it held that he did not tender any results of elections in the polling units.
According to the tribunal, the evidence of PW10 goes to no issue because it contradicted the results pleaded by the petitioner.
It held that most of the witnesses of the AAC were not credible, as they discredited themselves through contradictory statements.
The tribunal noted however, that PW21 and the State Collation Agent of AAC, Mr Nenye Kocha, was consistent in his testimony from collation centre to the tribunal that the AAC lost the Governorship election.
According to the tribunal, Kocha was a truthful witness, whose evidence was credible, just as it placed probative value on his testimony.
The tribunal also accepted the testimony of PW22, Joseph Osademe, a producer with AIT, who tendered the video clip showing INEC officials declaring the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike winner of the election.
It also placed value on the document tendered by the Assistant Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, ACP Victor Onugbo.
The document tendered by the police before the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, authenticated the electoral victory of Governor Nyesom Wike during the March 9, 2019 election.
The tribunal aligned with the testimony of the police, saying that it was credible.
It further stated that the fact that the first and second petitioners were opposed to each other was another ground to dismiss the petition.
Determining the petition of the ADP Governorship Candidate, Mr Victor Fingesi on its merit, the tribunal held that the petitioner failed woefully to prove that Wike did not score the highest number of lawful votes during the March 9, 2019 Governorship election.
Justice Kingsley Orjiako said that the petitioner’s complaint was vague and merely speculative.
The tribunal stated that the first petitioner did not know the number of registered voters in the state, and further noted that the petitioner under cross examination said he had no knowledge of the number of registered voters in his own polling unit in Okrika LGA.
It noted that the allegation that the winner did not score the highest number of votes was an invitation to compare figures, and held that the petitioner ought to plead his own results and that of the winner for the court to cross check.
Justice Orjiako noted that there was no evidence of any alleged inflation of results, as the evidence remains vague.
The tribunal held that the burden of proof was strictly on the petitioner and not on any weakness of the defence of the respondents.
It agreed with INEC that election was conducted in substantial compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
The tribunal explained that the testimonies of the witnesses of the ADP were mere hearsay, since most of them were not at the respective polling units where elections took place, and described most of the witnesses of ADP as impostors who capitulated in the face of cross-examination.
It said that it examined the testimonies on a local government by local government basis, adding that despite the litany of documents pleaded by the petitioner, he could only tender poorly investigated newspaper reports.
The tribunal said that INEC has the power to suspend an election, in line with Section 26 (1) of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended, and also held that the ADP Governorship Candidate lacks the locus standi to file the petition, having sued the first petitioner, instead of Wike who won the governorship election.
Reacting to the judgment, the Rivers State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bro. Felix Obuah, expressed delight over the judgment of the Rivers State Election Petitions Tribunal, which dismissed the petition of the candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Mr. Victor Fingesi, in the March 9, 2019 Governorship Election in Rivers State.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Jerry Needam, Obuah commended the tribunal for rising to the occasion, stressing that justice has, once again, been dispassionately dispensed.
The state PDP boss also commended the wise decision and forthrightness of the tribunal Chairman, Justice Kingsley Orjiako, reiterating that Wike’s re-election was a divine order, which any attempt by man to upturn, would be an exercise in futility.
Stressing that Wike was God-sent to Rivers people and that no weapon formed against him shall succeed, Obuah said the time was rife for those still agitated over the outcome of the 2019 General Election, to put the elections behind for the overall interest of the state, adding that what God has approved, no man can reverse.
The Rivers PDP chairman said the Olive branch offered the opposition politicians was a demonstration of Wike’s large heart, and enjoined people, irrespective of political affiliation, to join the progressive train of the Wike administration to move the state forward.
Obuah restated his conviction that the Wike-led administration has demystified governance in the state with remarkable improvement in all sectors of the economy, saying the door was wide open for good ideas that would benefit all and sundry.
Also reacting, the Executive Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Council, Hon. Solomon Eke lauded the judgment of the Rivers State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal for dismissing the petitions of the ADP Governorship Candidate, Mr Victor Fingesi and that of the AAC candidate, Engineer Biokpomabo Awara in the March 9th governorship election in the state.
In a message released via the Chairman’s social media handle, Eke described the judgement as a victory for all Rivers people.
“Today’s judgment is a true reflection of the peoples mandate given to His Excellency, Governor Nyesom Wike. This is a victory for all Rivers people.”
The message also congratulated the governor and Rivers people over the victory at the tribunal.
“I heartily felicitate with the good people of Rivers State and congratulate our amiable governor over this victorious judgement. This is indeed the people’s verdict,” the statement read.
Similarly, the Chairman of Asari-Toru Local Government Council, Chief Odiari Princewill and the good people of ASALGA celebrated as Governor Nyesom Wike recorded another judicial milestone in the Rivers State Election Petition Tribunal.
In a statement shortly after the judgment, last Saturday, Odiari said that with the four-hour unanimous judgement, the tribunal judges have shown that the Judiciary remains the last hope of the ordinary man.
He described the AAC petition as an effort aimed at building castle in the air.
Odiari noted that the tribunal’s order that a cost of N900,000 be paid to PDP, Wike and INEC by Awara was justifiable and would serve as punishment for taking the people of the state through the tribunal without any reason.
He said, “Once more, this is a victory for democracy and Rivers people”.