The Court of Appeal in Abuja on
Wednesday affirmed the judgment of the Rivers State Governorship
Election Petition Tribunal which nullified the election of Governor
Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party and ordered the Independent
National Electoral Commission to conduct a fresh poll.
The five-man panel of the Court of
Appeal, led by Justice M.B. Dongban-Mensen in three separate judgments,
dismissed the appeals filed by Wike, the PDP and INEC against the
verdict of the Justice Suleiman Ambrusa-led tribunal delivered on
October 24.
In the three unanimous judgments, the
Appeal Court held that the tribunal was right to have held that the All
Progressives Congress and its governorship candidate in the April 11,
2015 election, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, had satisfactorily proved their
petition that the poll was conducted in non-compliance with the
provisions of the Electoral Act.
In its judgment on the first appeal by
Wike read by the presiding justice, Donghan-Messen, the Appeal Court
resolved all the seven issues formulated in the appeal against the
appellants.
