The Justice Mu’azu Pindiga led Rivers state governorship election tribunal sitting in Abuja on Wednesday dismissed the request of the All Progressives Congress(APC) and Dakuku Peterside to transfer the election materials for inspection to Abuja.
The APC gubernatorial candidate Dakuku Perterside had prayed that the election tribunal direct INEC to transfer all election materials for the April 11, 2015 governorship election in Rivers State. The APC has asked that the material be transferred to Abuja to enable the party’s forensic experts and legal team to inspect the material. The electoral material include ballot papers, voters register, biometric data as captured by the card reader machines during the April 11,2015 governorship election in Rivers state.
The tribunal has earlier stroke out the request of the Rivers state governor Nyesom Wike for stay of execution of the June 11 petition for APC to inspect the material in Port Harcourt. The tribunal also rejected the request of INEC challenging the competence of the petitioner.
The three man tribunal had ruled that the petitioners failed to convince it why the previous ruling should be amended to reflect that the inspection be conducted in Abuja. Having declined the July 17, 2015 application, the tribunal resolved that giving in to the request made by APC and Peterside would amount to varying on earlier order it made on June 11, 2015. The tribunal had previously granted the APC access to inspect the election materials.
As the news of the decision of the three man tribunal filtered into the Port Harcourt the Rivers state capital there was wide celebration by supporters of Governor Nyesom Wike in the state.
Reacting to the ruling, counsel to the APC Emeka Ngige (SAN) says they have other means to compel INEC to comply with the rules of evidence and produce all election material for inspection.
