Rivers election tussle: Nyesom Wike closes case

The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike on Tuesday told the state Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Abuja that he had completed the presentation of all his witnesses.

The governor spoke through his Counsel, Emmanuel Ukala after presenting 24 witnesses to defend his case that he is the right winner of the April 11 governorship election.

Wike also tendered newspapers clippings wherein the former Chairman of the Independent

National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega declared that the Rivers State governorship election was free and fair.

The governor tendered other documents which also said that the election was peaceful, credible and conducted in line with the Electoral Act.

The governor also tendered his certificate of return, APC agents list, organogram of INEC in Rivers State and the State APC notice of primaries election issued to INEC.

The governor’s Counsel said that documents would assist the tribunal to resolve the matter before it.

Justice Suleiman Ambursa adjourned sitting to Thursday for the state PDP, the third respondent to open its case.

The governor had on Monday called a retired National Commissioner of INEC, Mr Christopher Iyimoga to defend his case.

Iyimoga had told the tribunal that he was one of the three-members of INEC National Commissioner monitoring team who supervised the April 11 election in Rivers.

Iyimoga told the tribunal that the election was peaceful, a position which contradicted the testimony given Charles Okoye, also an INEC staff on Sept. 12.

According to Iyimoga, Okoye invited by the APC to testify on Sept. 12 lied before the tribunal.

He said that Okoye was just a travel guide to the team and that he had no “locus standi ’’ to write a formal report which the said witness tendered before the tribunal on the day he testified.

One Mr Emmanuel Phillips, a retired officer of the Department of State Security (DSS) had earlier testified that the election was devoid of violence.

Phillips said that he was able to lead a team of 200 DSS operatives from Abuja to monitor the election and that it was peaceful.

Among those who also testified before the tribunal for governor Wike include an Assistant Commissioner of Police, a Chief Superintendent of Police, a traditional rulers, clerics, civil servants, among others.

Meanwhile, Counsel to the APC, Mr Akinlolu Olujimi objected to the admissibility of those documents which the tribunal ruled out and admitted the documents in evidence.

Culled from www.thenewsnigeria.com.ng