PDP says Tribunal ruling is a rape on democracy, insists Wike remains Governor

Biodun Abimbola

The Rivers State chapter of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) Saturday described the Election Petitions Tribunal ruling that sacked Nyesom Wike as governor as “travesty of justice, rape on democracy, and a compromised ruling”.

Reacting to the decision of the Tribunal, the State PDP chairman, Felix Obuah, said that notwithstanding the ruling, Mr. Wike still remained the governor of the state.

Obuah, maintained that no matter the degree of conspiracy by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government, the “falsehood and gang-up” against Rivers people will amount to a nullity in the end.

While urging the Rivers people not to panic over the “pre-empted judgment” which he said had been decided long before the written addresses by the parties were adopted Thursday, Mr. Obuah cited section 143, subsection 1 of the Electoral Act 2010 which guarantees an elected governor stay in office so long as a notice of appeal is given against the judgment within 21 day from the date of the judgment notwithstanding the decision of the election tribunal.

The state PDP chairman said the tribunal judgment will never stand, saying the PDP will get to any legal height possible to fight the “injustice”.

“There is no other reason why the tribunal hurriedly delivered the contraption it called judgment in less than 24 hours after adopting the written addresses on a matter that lasted over four months, than to pre-empt the judgment of the Supreme Court against the tribunal by the PDP which comes up next week Tuesday,” Mr. Obuah noted.

“The good thing is that by the hurried judgment, the tribunal chairman has exposed his partiality and shot himself in the leg by defying all legal procedures and going ahead to deliver judgment on the APC petition when there is an impending matter hinging on the appeal at the Supreme Court just as he refused to vacate his seat as chairman of the election petitions tribunal for the State Governorship Election Petitions despite PDP’s resentment on questions of integrity and impartiality.

“Notwithstanding all this, in the end we shall have the last laugh,” Mr. Obuah declared.

“Men have today Saturday, October 24, 2015 after being compromised serve their immoral judgment, God would soon give justice in the governorship election in Rivers State,” Mr. Obuah said.