Tribunal reserves judgment in Peterside’s petition against Wike OCTOBER 23, 2015 : ADE ADESOMOJU

The Rivers State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal on
Thursday reserved judgment in the petition filed by the All
Progressives Congress and its candidate in the April 11 election,
Dr. Dakuku Peterside, challenging the election of Governor
Nyesom Wike as the winner of the poll.
The Justice Mohammed Ambrosa-led tribunal reserved
judgment after parties to the petition adopted their final written
addresses on Thursday.
Justice Ambrosa said the date for delivering the judgment would
be communicated to parties when it is ready.
At the final hearing day of the petition on Thursday, lead counsel
to the petitioner, Chief Akin Olujinmi (SAN), urged the tribunal to
nullify the election and order the Independent National Electoral
Commission to conduct a fresh one.
Olujinmi maintained that the petitioners had been able to
establish that the April 11 poll was conducted in substantial
non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
The petitioners, who called 56 witnesses, had tendered
documentary evidence ranging from security to INEC reports; all
of which indicated that the conduct of the April 11 election was
characterised by fraud and widespread violence.
The respondents – INEC, Wike and his party, the Peoples
Democratic Party – while adopting their separate addresses,
argued that the petitioners failed to prove the case in line with
the standard set by the statutes and previous decisions of the
Supreme Court.
Lawyers representing the respondents– Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN),
for INEC; Emmanuel Ukala (SAN) for Wike and Wole Olanipekun
for the PDP, urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition on the
grounds that the petitioners failed to discharge the onus of proof
placed on them by the law.
At the trial, INEC called 24 witnesses, Wike called 16, but the
PDP called none.
The petitioners called 56 witnesses, including some of its agents
during the election and officers of the Nigerian Army, the police
as well as the Department of State Service, who narrated how
the conduct of the poll was characterised by irregularities and
widespread violence.
One of the petitioners’ witnesses was the Head of the Election
and Party Monitoring Department of INEC in Rivers State,
Charles Okoye, who described the poll as “militants’ terrorism
and a sham” which he said resulted in a mockery of ,

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