For Nyesom Wike, the irrepressible Governor of Rivers State, it was yet another sweet victory on Friday, October 28, 2019 as the Supreme Court upheld the two appeals he filed challenging the decision of the Court of Appeal, upturning the dismissal of a petition filed by the African Action Congress and Festus Awara, its candidate in the last governorship election.
In the lead judgment, Justice Ejembi Eko upheld the two appeals by Wike on the grounds that they were meritorious. The appeals were against the decisions of the Court of Appeal, reversing the two decisions of the Rivers State Governorship Election Tribunal.
The Appeal Court sitting in Port Harcourt had set aside the judgment of the Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal that dismissed Awara’s petition. The five-man panel consequently directed all parties to return to the tribunal to hear the matter on its merit.
On the second appeal by Awara, on the consent judgment and preliminary objections by respondents, the five-man appeal panel in a unanimous judgment also set aside the judgment of the tribunal, saying that the tribunal erred in their decision.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has congratulated Governor Nyesom Wike over the Supreme Court judgement that affirmed his election. The party in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, described the judgement as the final triumph of justice and the will of the people over anti-democratic forces.
Ologbondiyan said that the judgment had further strengthened the confidence of the people on the integrity of the Supreme Court. He said that it had also confirmed the court readiness to correct any miscarriage of justice at lower stages of justice system, particularly electoral cases.
He said that such fearless verdict was needed at all levels of the justice system to achieve the much-needed stability. Ologbondiyan congratulated Wike and the people of Rivers state for the landmark ruling.
He said that the ruling consolidated the platform for the governor to continue in his commitment towards greater productivity without further distractions from those who do not wish the state well. Ologbondiyan said it was optimistic that all its stolen mandates would be retrieved so as to save the nation and give Nigerians the purposeful leadership they yearn for at the trying time.
Source: NAN
