By Egufe Yafugborhi

RIVERS State Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Port Harcourt, yesterday, dismissed the petition by African Action Congress (AAC) and its candidate,  Biokpomabo Awara, seeking nullification of the result of the March 9 election which Nyesom Wike won.

In a reaction, Wike said nobody contested against him in the election.

The tribunal, headed by Justice Kingsley Ojiako, which dismissed Awara’s petition in over four hours of judgment it delivered on the matter had, earlier in the day, dismissed a similar petition by the Action Democratic Party, ADP, and its 2019 governorship candidate, Victor Fingesi, seeking cancellation of same election.

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike

The judgment read by Justice K.B. Olawoyin, member of the three-man panel, described AAC’s petition as “dismissed in its entirely”, vexatious and smacked abuse of court process, awarding a cost of N200,000 against the Petitioners to the Respondents including the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC,  Wike and his Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

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In the judgment before, read by tribunal Chairman, Ojiako, the panel said the petitioners failed woefully to substantiate allegations that Governor Wike was not duly elected in the said election, that the exercise was marred by widespread violence and sharp practices.

The tribunal also awarded cost of N300,000 against Fingesi and the ADP to be paid to each of the Respondents in the case, INEC, Wike and the PDP.

The tribunal declared that both petitioners failed to prove their petitions beyond reasonable doubt, stressing that they failed to adduce evidence to prove that the election was  marred by violence and irregularities.

“We affirm the election of Nyesom Ezenwo Wike as his declaration by INEC as duly elected”, the tribunal concluded on both judgments\’.

Olawoyin on Awara, AAC petition

The tribunal declared that Wike won 19 out of the 21 Local Government Areas where election held, while the petitioner won in two Local Government Areas.

It ruled that the results tendered by the petitioner,  Awara Biokpomabo, while giving evidence, were inadmissible and therefore expunged from the records.

Ojiako on Fingesi, ADP petition

Determining the petition of the ADP candidate, Fingesi, on its merit, the tribunal, through Justice Ojiako, declared that the petitioner failed woefully to prove that Wike did not score the highest number of lawful votes during the March 9 election.

He said the petitioner’s complaint was vague, merely speculative, adding that that the first petitioner (Fingesi) did not know the number of registered voters in the state and under cross examination had no knowledge of the number of registered voters in his own polling unit in Okrika LGA.

The tribunal declared that an  allegation that the winner did not score the highest number of votes is an invitation to compare figures as the petitioner ought to plead his own results and that of the winner for the court to cross check.

We will appeal —Awara

Meanwhile, Emenike Ebete, counsel to Awara, said, “We will definitely appeal the judgment” while praising the “industry of the tribunal” in its laborious judgment and counsel to Fingesin, Dolapo-Tella Anthony, said, “I would confer with my client to take the next line of action.”

‘We had no rival at polls’

In a reaction, Wike said nobody contested election against him during the March 9 election.

The governor spoke at a thanksgiving held at Government House, Port Harcourt.

He said: “It is so painful someone could say no election held in Rivers. Nobody who ran the election against us. But for connections, how can anyone say he ran election against us in Rivers. I will never be distracted. I will do everything in the interest of Rivers. I will continue to work. Nothing will distract me”

National PDP Chairman,   Prince Uche Secondus, rejoicing with Wike on the victory, said “Justice has been served on Rivers people through the judgment”.