Supreme Court dims Wike’s hope

 APC hails verdict

By Ibrahim Ramalan
Abuja

For Nyesom Wike, the Rivers state governor, this certainly may not be the best of times. Reason: the Supreme Court yesterday complicated his woes as it struck out his appeal challenging the jurisdiction and propriety of the state’s Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, to sit in Abuja.
This development may have further dimmed the governor’s hope of retaining his office.
The tribunal, as well as those of Taraba, Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Akwa Ibom and Borno state were relocated on grounds of insecurity.
The ruling came just three days after his election was annulled by the tribunal, on grounds of irregularities. Besides, the apex court’s decision was also coming barely 24 hours after similar verdict was passed by yet another tribunal, annulling the election of over 20 lawmakers in the state House of Assembly, elected on the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) platform.

Prior to now, Wike had before the tribunal, raised the issue of  jurisdiction , with the panel insisting it had same. He was of the opinion that the panel ought not to sit outside the state  since the election  held in the state  and not Abuja.
Dissatisfied with the ruling , he proceeded to the Court of Appeal, Abuja which upheld the tribunal’s judgement, after which he now headed for the Supreme Court.
Delivering judgment on the appeal yesterday,  Justice Amiru Sanusi, said the decision to relocate the tribunal to Abuja, was hinged on national security.

Sanusi, therefore, held that Wike’s suit lacked merit and substance, saying that “this is to be thrown out in its entirety.”
Justice Sanusi noted that the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bukachuwa, was right in her decision to have asked  the tribunal to sit  in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“That was done for the protection of lives of the tribunal members, parties and their supporters in view of the volatile nature of the state during that period,” he ruled.

“I agree with the Court of Appeal and the President of the Court of Appeal is right in relocating the panel to Abuja.
“On the whole, I hold that the tribunal was properly constituted by the President of the Court of Appeal even without consultation with the Chief Judge of Rivers state or the President of the Customary Court.
“The Court, for the benefit of hindsight took judicial notice of the fact that there were no Chief Judge and President of the Customary Court during the period under review,” the court declared .
He added: “It is necessary to protect members of the panel from violence to where their lives will be secured.  The President of the Court of Appeal has the power to do so and has judiciously utilised the power. In the light of the evidence laid before us, the application is struck out for lack of merit.”

Meanwhile, Rivers state chapter of the  All Progressives Congress (APC), has hailed the Supreme Court’s verdict.
Its Publicity Secretary, Mr Chris FineBone, said in a statement in Port Harcourt that the apex court had affirmed that the tribunal’s sitting was moved to Abuja because of insecurity.
“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,” he said.
It also commended the reason for the relocation of the tribunal to Abuja which was to safeguard the lives of the tribunal chairman, members and witnesses.

The statement said the party was happy with the observation of the court that Rivers state was “a theatre of war” and as such protection of lives of members of the panel and interested parties was paramount.
The APC also noted with satisfaction that the justices for once again re-affirmed that they were always ready to dispense justice without fear or favour.
“The significance of all seven eminent justices of the Supreme Court speaking in one voice in today’s judgement is that the faith, hope and confidence of the ordinary Nigerian to get justice are assured in the Nigerian judicial system.”