The Supreme Court of Nigeria has dismissed the suit brought before it by the discharged Rivers State governor, Barrister Nyesom Wike [pictured above].
Governor Wike had appealed to the Apex Court over the transfer of the Rivers State election petitions tribunal that nullified the governorship election of Rivers State held on April 11, from Port Harcourt to Abuja.
The court had also maintained that the Tribunal was properly constituted.
Responding to the judgement, The Rivers State Chapter of All Progressives Congress, APC, has lauded the Nigerian Supreme Court on its decision to throw out the bid by Wike to declare the sitting of the Rivers State Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja as being against the law.
The apex court ruled that the President of the Court of Appeal acted in line with the law in transferring the sitting of the tribunal to Abuja for security reasons. The court also affirmed the judgement of the Court of Appeal, which had earlier okayed the decision of the Tribunal to assume jurisdiction.
“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 and that the relocation of the tribunal to Abuja was to safeguard the lives of the tribunal chairman, members and witnesses. The apex court likened the violence in Rivers to that of a theatre of war such as is prevailing in the North-East”, the party said in a statement sgned by its Publicity Secretary, Chris Finebone in Port Harcourt today.
The APC noted with delight that Justice Okoro from Akwa Ibom State not only concurred but went further to say that Rivers State was a theatre of war and as such protection of life and limbs of members of the panel and interested parties was paramount and thus relocation of the Panel imperative.
The APC also commended the eminent Supreme Court Justices for once again re-affirming that they always dispense justice without fear or favour despite the frequent boasts by Nyesom Wike that he has all the Justices of the Supreme Court in his pocket, whatever that means.
The significance of all seven eminent Justices of the Supreme Court speaking in one voice in today’s judgment according to the APC, is that the faith, hope and confidence of the ordinary Nigerian to get justice is assured in the Nigerian judicial system.