The gubernatorial election in Rivers state which ushered in Nysom Wike as the state’s governor, has been nullified.
This was after several evidences before the tribunal, which decided the case between the governor and the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Dakuku Peterside, proved that there was ‘no election’ in the state.
With this new development, there shall be a rerun of the Rivers state gubernatorial election in January, 2016.
Read the feed as the Judge made the announcement earlier today:
Judge: On locus standi we had given ruling on that based on the order of the appeal court on which we upheld the eligibility of the petitioner.
And all based on this we discountenance this part of the address by the 2nd respondent based on the time frame of the EPT another chairman can be re assigned to take up from another chairman.
This power is solely the right of the court of Appeal president to exercise and on which she did. The letter of the secretary is upheld to the gubernatorial elections & the house of assembly because the letter was written twice and re emphasized as guidelines to the said elections.
As such the 1st respondent was emphatic on the said card reader usage. The use of card reader was introduced dis 2015, & was emphatically said to be used only and the letter was written twice for (emphasis).
The card readers was a complimentary to the voters registers.
Judge: I therefore say without the use of card reader makes the election a nullity The DW 1 testimony was not credible because he contradicted itself.
DW2 was also did same & further compounded her issue by saying she couldn’t see or read from the form EC8A.
All the DW refused to read from INEC presented to them thereby contradicting there earlier submissions.
Even an INEC commissioner agreed that card reader was agreed to be used only in the gubernatorial and house of assembly elections.
The petitioner has credible evidences The 2nd respondent was not validly elected.
And as such we order INEC to conduct a rerun in Rivers State within 90 days.
This is perceived by many, a victory for immediate past governor of the state, Rotimi Amaechi and his candidate at the election, Hon. Dakuku Peterside.
It is yet to be seen, however, how Governor Wike will react to the court’s ruling on the election.