By Jimitota Onoyume

Nullification of the election of three senators in Rivers State and 12 members of the House of Representatives who were all elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by the Appeal court is dominating discussions in virtually all parts of the state.

In drinking spots, commercial buses and several other places the main talk is the judgement of the Appeal court. Some people expressed strong fears that the development could heighten security tension.

Fear of insecurity: A resident in Dioub area, Mr Tuotamuno, said if about 100 persons lost their lives during the last   general elections as alleged by the All Progressive Congress, APC, when it held its Black   Rivers day rally, then there was need for people to worry about what the security situation might turn out to be during the rerun elections ordered by the Appeal court.

Adequate security

“I am just disturbed. I hope there will be adequate security for the elections. We saw the crisis that marred the Bayelsa govenorship poll in Southern Ijaw “, Tuotamuno said.

Another resident of the same Dioube area, who gave his name as Stephen, said there was no need to panic as government will certainly have measures in place to arrest any ugly situation during the elections.

I won’t be distracted —Wike

Wike

Meantime, in what looked like a veiled reference to the court verdict, Governor Nyesom Wike said he will not be distracted from the goals he had set out to achieve for the state.

The governor, who spoke during inspection of some of his projects, said his mandate derived from the massive votes from people, stressing that they came out in their large numbers to vote for him.

A statement made available to newsmen  on Saturday  after the Appeal court verdict by Special Assistant to the governor on Electronic Media, Mr Simeon Nwakaudu, quoted Wike as saying that efforts were already on by his administration to restore the state back to its Garden city glory.

“The people are happy. They appreciate what we are doing for them. We want to turn Port Harcourt and its environs around and re-establish the Garden City that will be a pride of the nation.

“We will use the dry season to accomplish the revival programme within the limits of available resources. In Diobu, out of the 22 kilometres being reconstructed, we have achieved 17 kilometres. The remaining aspects of the Diobu road have reached 70 per cent completion.

“The mandate the people freely gave to us will be utilised effectively for their wellbeing. People came out overwhelmingly and voted for us and we are doing what they want “, he  said

We dedeicate judgement to our murdered members — APC

The APC, on its part, has dedicated the victory of its members, who contested results of the elections at the Appeal court to memories of those allegedly murdered in the state during the period of the last elections.

Stolen mandates

State Publicity secretary of the party, Mr Chris Finebone, in a statement, said the judgement showed that those allegedly assassinated during the last general polls, including late Chief Chris Adube and his children, will not die in vain.

“The APC believes that there can be no better way to bid farewell to Chief Christopher Adube than to dedicate the recovery of our stolen mandates to the ultimate sacrifice the late Chief Chris Adube, his three children, younger brother and driver made when they were murdered in one fell swoop in the late Chief’s home on Good Friday  April 3, 2015.

”’We dedicate these victories to Police Corporal Ifeanyi Okorie killed when the APC Governorship Campaign Team was attacked at Okrika and close to 100 others killed before, during and after the 2015 elections in Rivers State,” he said.  The party further hailed the judiciary, expressing hope that it will one day bring those behind the murder of Adube and others to book.

The APC believes, more than ever before, that the judiciary remains the citadel of justice for the oppressed from the injustice of those who misuse individual and state power in Nigeria just as it obtains elsewhere in the world. We believe that there is no alternative to doing the right thing; for those who do not quite share this ideal, a day of reckoning will always come”, he said.

The appeal court ordered a rerun election for all the affected offices within 60 days.

Politicians revive structures: Politicians have started reviving their structures and holding meetings ahead of the elections.

Before the Appeal court verdict the APC had only one seat in the state House of Assembly while the PDP won all the elective offices contested in the last general polls.

It is expected that the rerun elections will be keenly contested by the PDP and APC, the two top contending political parties.

There have been conjectures and speculations on the strength of the two political parties which only the rerun elections will provide clear answers on.

The court verdict: The Abuja division of the Appeal court led by Justice Ali Gumel in its ruling said the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC undermined certain provisions of the Electoral Act during the last general elections. Some of them according to the judgement included accreditation of voters, use of card reader machines and so on.

Elections by the judgement should be conducted in the affected areas within 90 days.

Those sacked: Those sacked include senators George Sekibo, Rivers East, Osinakachukwu Idoezu (Rivers South-West Senatorial District) and John Olaka-Nwogo (Rivers South-East).

Accreditation of voters

They also include Boma Goodhead, the member representing Asari Toru/Akuku Toru Federal Constituency, Hon. Ken Chikere (PDP) Port Harcourt I Federal constituency election, Randolf Brown for Bonny/Degema Federal Constituency, Dum Deekor of Tai/Eleme/Oyigbo Federal Constituency, Betty Apiafi Ahoada East/Abua Federal Constituency, Awaji Inombek Abiante of Andoni/Opobo/Nkoro federal constituency and Dimnamene Deekor of Khana/Gokhana federal constituency

Blessng Nsiegbe of Port Harcourt federal constituency II, Kingsley Chinda of Obio Akpor Federal Constituency, Boniface Emerangwa of Ikwerre/ Emohua Federal Constituency, Bright Gogo Tamuno of Okrika/Ogu/Bolo Federal Constituency, and Hon. Jerome Eke of Etche/Omuma Federal Constituency.

However, Hon Uche Nnam Obi of Ahoada West//Egbeama/Ndoni Federal Constituency  escaped what some have code named the   sledge hammer of the Appeal court.