By Our Correspondent
Dr. Dakuku Peterside, governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Rivers State has hailed the verdict of the Appeal Court endorsing the earlier judgement of the Rivers Elections Petitions Tribunal on the nullification of April Rivers State governorship election.
Reacting to the judgement, Peterside praised the Nigerian judiciary for its courage and efforts towards deepening the nation’s democracy and political process.
According to him, the judiciary will be remembered for standing tall even in the face of unwarranted provocation and vilification by those who brazenly stole the peoples’ mandate during the March and April elections in Rivers State.
He also congratulated the people of Rivers State for their patience and understanding especially in view of the painful process of reclaiming their mandate.
“I am happy that the Nigerian judiciary is rekindling hope in our electoral process and in our country generally. This is so because the judiciary is sending the right signal, particularly to those who perpetrate violence and fraud during elections.
“Never again will a peoples’ mandate be subverted so viciously by a violent and self-seeking few, all in the name of political contest. Members of our party and supporters were murdered in cold blood in their homes and campaign grounds for their political beliefs. We are happy that this injustice is currently being addressed by a credible institution like the judiciary.
“We pray never to experience the level of persecution, violence and deaths that characterised both the March and April elections in our state. Democracy is about freedom, equality and justice; so everybody must join hands to defend it at all times.
“I therefore wish to dedicate our victories in the legislative and.executive arms to our fallen brothers and sisters, our supporters and the entire Rivers people for believing in us and for keeping faith.
“Our state will be great again if and only when we vote into public office, our sons and daughters who will not bring shame to us by their words and actions.
“We, members of the APC know the needs of our people as we fully appreciate the leadership crisis rocking our state today. You have sacrificed and waited all these agonizing months for justice. Now, justice has come. I commend you and urge you to hold on a little more as we all march collectively towards entrenching the kind of leadership that would serve our overall interest irrespective of our political persuasions.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has urged the good people of the State to remain calm and law abiding in the face of what it described as “obvious gang-up” by the All Progressives Congress, APC led Federal Government against duly.elected Governor of the State, Barr. Nyesom Wike and other elected lawmakers of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, using some Justices of the Court of Appeal as willing tools to invalidate their elections.
Reacting to the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, the State Chairman of the PDP, Bro Felix Obuah enjoins members of the Party and Rivers People to remain law abiding assuring that “Governor Nyesom wike remains the Governor of Rivers State and the PDP would challenge the decision of the Appeal Court in Supreme Court.”
According to Bro Obuah, Mr Dakuku Peterside, 24 hours before the Appeal Court judgement, as he also did in the judgement of the Appeal Court on the National Assembly elections, had announced the date of the judgement and further declared that the APC will win, suggesting that he was in contact with the Justices of the Court of Appeal.
The PDP noted that they still hold the Judiciary in high esteemed and strongly believe that not all judicial officers can be compromised, adding that they will be heading to the Supreme Court to challenge the judgement of the Appeal Court today.
The PDP further assured their members and the good people of Rivers State, that Barr. Nyesom Wike remains the Governor of Rivers State as the PDP would take advantage of the provisions of the law to challenge the decision of the Appeal Court, in the Supreme Court.
Bro Obuah further assured that Governor Nyesom Wike and the PDP would emerge victorious at the end of the day.
