By Onozure Dania

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers State has berated the governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state in the 2015 election, Mr. Dakuku Peterside; Senator  Magnus Abe, APC candidate for Rivers South East senatorial district;  Mr. Barry Mpigi, APC candidate for Tai/Eleme/Oyigbo federal constituency and other members of the APC over theire alleged attack on Justice Ibrahim Liman of a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt.

It will be recalled that the judge had in June 2016, restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in an interlocutory injunction from announcing any results or figures, however, generated or compiled, purported to be the result of the re-run election for any or all of Khana, Bonny, Gokana, Andoni, Eleme, and Tai Local Government Areas of Rivers State or any part of the re-run election of March 19, 2016, which election was subsequently postponed by INEC.

State PDP Chairman, Mr Felix Obuah, in a statement in Port Harcourt, yesterday, said: “We wish to make the following clarifications following attacks on the judge, the judiciary and denial that such order of court exists.

“It is the position of the law as stated clearly by the Supreme Court that once a suit has been filed and party involved served, the party  can no longer do anything, whether or not the court has made any pronouncement or order on the subject matter in litigation

“We want to put the records straight that INEC was properly served and represented in court. INEC also filed papers and joined issues with the PDP. INEC filed a counter-affidavit to the motion. INEC in the counter-affidavit denied constituting any committee to come up with figure for declaring the re-run election results conducted in Rivers State on March 19, 2016.

“INEC further denied that it had ever written or contrived results for re-run election conducted in Rivers State.  When the party or defendant in a suit has been served and  represented, party has submitted himself to jurisdiction and anything he does afterwards, adversely to the subject matter, amounts to self help and a mark of disrespect or contempt of court.”