The Court of Appeal in Abuja has reserved judgment in three separate appeals filed by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, before the state Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja.
The All Progressives Congress and its candidate in the April 11, 2015 governorship election in Rivers State, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, are challenging the victory of Wike in the poll.
The Justice Abubakar Yahaya-led Court of Appeal on Monday heard the three appeals by Wike and the PDP – all of which emanated from their disagreement with the two rulings of the tribunal and the constitution of its panel of judges.
One of the appeals challenged the June 11, 2015 ruling of the Justice Mu’azu Pindiga-led tribunal, granting the petitioners permission to inspect the polling materials used for the conduct of the election.
Another one challenged the ruling of the tribunal affirming the propriety of sitting in Abuja instead of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
Wike, in the third appeal, contended that the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, did not properly constitute the three-man panel of the tribunal.
Arguing the appeals, Wike’s counsel, Emmanuel Ukala (SAN), and that of the PDP, Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN), asked the appellate court to set aside the rulings of the tribunal.
They asked the Court of Appeal to set aside the permission granted the APC and Peterside to inspect the electoral materials used for the election.
Ukala argued that it was wrong to grant permission to inspect election materials without giving them (respondents) adequate notice.
He also insisted that the tribunal had no power to relocate its sitting from Rivers State, where the disputed election was conducted, to Abuja.
But Dakuku’s counsel, Chief Akin Olujinmi (SAN), urged the appellate court to dismiss the appeals on the grounds that they lacked merit.
Olujinmi insisted that the tribunal was right in sitting in Abuja for security reasons.
He also defended the order of the tribunal granting permission to the petitioners to inspect all the materials used for the disputed election.
He argued that the tribunal headed by Justice Mu’azu Pindiga was properly constituted in line with the provisions of the law.
