Tribunal sacks speaker, 20 lawmakers in Rivers State

By Eric Ikhilae,

The Rivers State legislative election petition tribunals yesterday nullified the election of 20 out of the 32 members of the state House of Assembly.

The four tribunals, in separate judgments yesterday, upheld the petitions by candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the election.
They ordered rerun in the affected constituencies.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members of the House, who are affected by the tribunals’ verdicts, include the Speaker Owaji Ibani from Andoni constituency.
The state’s governorship election petition tribunal last Saturday, voided the election of Governor Nyesom Wike and ordered a rerun.
Yesterday, the tribunals upheld the petitioners’ evidence, particularly in relation to allegations of irregularities and violence among other electoral malpractices.
The tribunals were of the view that the petitioners were, by the evidence led, able to prove their case.
By yesterday’s development, the PDP is now left with just 11 seats in the House. There was only one member of the APC in the House.
The affected lawmakers are, under the Electoral Act, entitled, within 21 days, to challenge the nullification of the elections at the appellate court.
The affected constituencies are GOKANA, ELEME, OBIO AKPOR 1 and 2, Etche 2, Opobo/Nkoro and AKUKUTORU 2,
Others are ASARI TORU 1 and 2, BONNY, Tai, ONELGA 1, DEGEMA, AHOADA East -1,  KHANA-1 and 2 ,Ikwerre, PHALGA-2, ANDONI.
The trbunals upheld elections in 11 constituencies won by the PDP. They are Oyigbo, Etche 1, Omuma, Ogu-Bolo, PHALGA 1 and 3,ONELG 2, ABUA-Odual, AHOADA West, Ahoada East 2 and EMUOHA.
The petition challenging the election in Okrika constituency, where the former First Lady, Patience Jonathan hails from, was earlier dismissed.
Culled from The Nations newspaper

BREAKING NEWS: Tribunal sacks Wike as Rivers Governor, orders rerun

The Rivers State Election Petition Tribunal has sacked Nyesom Wike as the Governor of Rivers State.

The tribunal, which delivered its ruling in Abuja on Saturday, also ordered that a fresh governorship election be conducted in the state.
The petition challenging the election of Mr. Wike as Rivers State Governor was filed by Dakuku Peterside, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the election.
The Rivers governorship election, which was criticised by local and international observers, witnessed the largest amount of violence both in its build-up and after the elections.

Culled from PREMIUM TIMES

Rivers Governorship Election marred by violence, says INEC

Mr Charles Okoye, a witness for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the ongoing trial for the April 11 Rivers State Governorship election, said on Friday that the election was marred by violence. Okoye, who was in charge of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) election, campaign and party monitoring group in the state, said this in his testimony to the tribunal in Abuja.

The witness gave the testimony while being led in evidence by counsel to the petitioners, Mr Akinlolu Olujimi (SAN).

NAN reports that the APC and its candidate, Mr Dakuku Peterside, had approached the Justice Suleman Ambrosa led three-man panel seeking the nullification of the election of Gov. Nyesom Wike. The petitioners are also challenging the conduct of INEC and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) over the election.

The petitioners are seeking the nullification on the ground that the election was marred by irregularities and fraudulent practices. He said that the report gathered by him and other members of his group showed that there was no election in major parts of the state.

According to Okoye, the election only held in some part of the Eleme Local Government Area, and that it was marred by violence like in other reports gotten from other areas. “The election was characterised by violence, shooting, ballot box snatching, intimidation of voters and other forms of impunity in the major part of Rivers.

“I did a compilation of field report of what was gathered by me and other members of my group who monitored the election,’’ Okoye said. NAN reports that there was a serious argument by counsel to INEC, Mr Onyechi Ipeazu, the 1st respondent on the appearance of a witness from INEC to the tribunal.

Ipeazu said that he was not informed by INEC that such a witness will be coming to testify at the tribunal today, and urged the tribunal to disallow the witness from giving testimonies. “As a party to this matter, I am supposed to be aware of the INEC staff who is coming to testify before such person can be allowed, “ he said.

Ipeazu cited Paragraph 51(1A) of the Electoral Act, several laws and authority to argue his point for the witness from INEC not to give his testimonies. Mr Emmanuel Ukala, (SAN), Counsel to Wike, the 2nd respondent, and Mr Ifedayo Adedipe, (SAN), Counsel to the PDP, the 3rd respondent, also concurred with the submission of the INEC counsel.

Meanwhile, Olujimi argued that the 2010 amendment of the electoral laws had overruled Paragraph 51(1A) of the 2006 electoral laws canvassed by the respondents. According to Olujimi, Paragraph 51(1A) of the 2006 electoral laws is now an old fashion of the law.

Olujimi said that INEC had always hidden under paragraph 51(1A) of the 2006 electoral law to commit atrocity by preventing whistle blower from giving their evidence. According to him, the Court of Appeal has upheld emphatically in some of its rulings in electoral matters that Paragraph 51(1A) of the 2006 electoral law cannot stop a supreme witness from giving his evidence.

He said the amendment to the 2010 Electoral Act had replaced Paragraph 51(1A) of the 2006 electoral law. The tribunal Chairman, thereafter, overruled the respondents, adding that the 2010 amended electoral law had replaced the one canvassed by the respondents.

Culled from Vanguard newspaper