• I was not sacked –Speaker
The Supreme Court yesterday ruled that the Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has territorial jurisdiction to sit in Abuja following perceived security challenges in the state.
The tribunal on Monday dismissed a preliminary objection raised by Governor Nyesom Wike on its territorial jurisdiction and the failure of the President of the Court of Appeal to consult the Rivers State Chief Judge and President of the Customary Court of Appeal before constituting the tribunals. Dissatisfied, Wike approached the appellate court.
In a lead judgment read by Justice Sanusi (JSC), yesterday the Supreme Court held that the president of the Court of Appeal had the powers to transfer the sitting of the tribunal to Abuja to safeguard the lives of the judges and their staff.
The Supreme Court also ruled that in view of the fact that Rivers State had no Chief Judge or Customary Court of Appeal, there was no possibility for the president to have consulted them before the constitution of the tribunals.
In his reaction, Wike described the judgments of the Rivers State Election Tribunals, sitting in Abuja, which nullified his election and those of some state lawmakers, and that of Supreme Court, as ‘judicial terrorism against him’.
Wike, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Opunabo Inko-Tariah said: “What is going on right now, can best be described as judicial gang-up against Wike, nay, the people of Rivers State. It is an affront on democracy and a blight disregard for the will of the people, as evinced in the April 11 general elections.”
Meanwhile, Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday hailed the Supreme Court’s verdict on Governor Nyesom Wike’.
Mr. Chris FineBone, Publicity Secretary of the party in the state, said in a statement in Port Harcourt that the apex court affirmed that the tribunal’s sitting was moved to Abuja because of insecurity.
“As a party, the APC is grateful that all seven eminent jurists of the Supreme Court unanimously agreed that there was sufficient violence before, during and after the elections to justify the relocation of the tribunal to Abuja.’’
It also commended the reason for the relocation of the tribunal to Abuja, which was to safeguard the lives of the tribunal chairman, members and witnesses.
However, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani, has stated that the Elections Petitions Tribunal sacked neither him, nor any member of the Assembly on Monday.
Ibani’s statement yesterday, was on the heels of the judgment of the tribunal, which nullified his election and that of 20 lawmakers of the state Assembly.
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