The 2015 governorship election litigations finally came to an end last Wednesday in Rivers State following the expected ruling by the Supreme Court of Nigeria which upturned the earlier perverse ruling of the lower tribunal and that of the Appeal Court on the Rivers State election.
Although the Governor, Barr Nyesom Wike did not look perturbed despite the various nullifications of his election by both the lower tribunal and Court of Appeal. He was focused and committed to the good governance of his people knowing very well that the lopsided judgment of the tribunal and Court of Appeal cannot set a template for the laws of the federation.
It was very easy for those who have the magic want and the powers that be to penetrate the tribunal and Court of Appeal to buy conflicting judgment which was overturned by the apex court in favour of the people of Rivers State who massively voted for Governor Nyesom Wike. The Wednesday ruling that upheld the elections in Rivers, Ebonyi, Gombe, and Ogun states was able to record another impressive feat for the judiciary and further cement the confidence of the people in the judicial system as the last hope for the common man.
Some people may not understand that in the just concluded legal battle, Governor Wike was the common man whose hope of retaining his seat as Governor of Rivers state hanged on the judiciary.
The Apex Court was able to rise above every parochial sentiment and exclude itself from the court case thereby giving victory for the people and not the powers that be. The anticipated rerun by the opposition became a nullity, they cooked up false evidence in their desperate bid to use the machineries of government in the event of rerun to rig as they attempted in Bayelsa but failed. The Supreme Court has set a template of law in all the election since the 2015 governorship challenge moved to the Apex Court. With all the rulings so far given, it is pertinent to conclude that the much awaited Supreme Court ruling in the Akwa Ibom state governorship election will not be different.
The celebration of Mr Udom Emmanuel’s victory at the Supreme Court is already in the air, even the opposition doubting Thomases for once have been able to see Udom’s victory underway hence their resort to self consolation. The template has been set; Akwa Ibom will not be different in the wind of democratic justice that is currently blowing in the Supreme Court no matter who is involved. In no distance time, victory will certainly be given to the people of Akwa Ibom state as the Apex Court will affirm the election of Mr Udom Emmanuel as the duly elected governor of Akwa Ibom state.
Today, the Supreme Court stands as the correcting agent in the perverse judicial pronouncement by the court of appeal which was anti-people. The Apex court has demonstrate that the tenets of judicial principles cannot be sacrifice on the altar of few selfish individuals who thinks they can maneuver the judiciary to dance to their tone.
There was no justification for the biased ruling that was delivered by the court of appeal on Akwa Ibom governorship appeal in December. It was purely a case of the court being saturated and overwhelmed by the caliber of persons who had personal interest in the case. Having compromised the court of appeal, the National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress could boastfully say that APC will take over Rivers and Akwa Ibom state in court. He could not have had such conviction to say it boastfully without having a hand in the judgment that was about to be delivered. What a slap on the judiciary for an interested party to see judgment before it was delivered. A careful study of the judgment and statements used in the appeal court ruling of Akwa Ibom governorship election will reveal that the same language and comments used by the APC lawyer in his argument reflected on the court ruling. It’s therefore possible to conclude that the judgment that was presented might have been written by the APC lawyer for the judge. What a shame!
It was indeed a judicial gang-up to abort the divine mandate of Mr Udom Emmanuel, but because it is a divine mandate, and the supreme God of heaven is involved; the court of appeal could not decide or determine the destiny of Akwa Ibom people through judicial partiality. The people of Akwa Ibom state are confident that the injustice of the court of appeal will be corrected by the Supreme Court. The people’s mandate will certainly be retain with Governor Udom Emmanuel who has brought truth and good conscience to bear in the business of governance.
It is very clear that since the return of the current democratic dispensation in 1999, Akwa Ibom has always been a PDP state. Akwa Ibom people do not just support PDP as a political party, but are very fanatic about it. Apart from the few elements who jump in and out of political parties to gains political relevance, an average Akwa Ibom person does not know any political party other than PDP.
With this, it is practically impossible for anybody to think or a court of law to assume that a strange political party that is not known to the people can be imported into Akwa Ibom in 2014 and expect victory in 2015 election. The governorship election was not an interparty election they could manipulate the way they did the APC governorship primary which is still in court today.
PDP is the only political party that has been with the people at the grassroot. The people of Akwa Ibom state only know PDP and no other party, there is absolutely no way the APC candidate could claim victory in the election they did not even campaign for votes. Every voter in various units and wards knows PDP with it conspicuous umbrella logo which they are familiar with over the years. In Akwa Ibom state, it is either PDP or nothing. The same way the South-West are fanatical about their own party starting from Action Group, AC to ACN, and now APC; that is the same way the South-South has been so fanatical about PDP since 1999.
In Akwa Ibom state, PDP is like a religion. The people worship it with dedication and loyalty. It’s only the few elements who lost their positions in PDP now resort to a strange party. A party that is not known to the people, it’s like practicing Islam in Jerusalem. It will be extremely difficult to have followers because that is a strange religion to Jerusalem people.
All those people who are claiming APC today in Akwa Ibom were made by PDP. The whole antics is that since they lost their positions in PDP, and do not have any meaningful source of livelihood to fallback to, they resort to opposition for political relevance.
The APC ploy was to use the judiciary and forcefully upturn the PDP victory in Akwa Ibom with the connection of some APC chieftains who could maneuver appeal court. They thought whatever the court of appeal churn out, the Supreme Court will only affirm. It’s no longer the way it was planned. The Supreme Court is fully aware of this judicial ploy and gang-up against Akwa Ibom people; based on the judgments so far delivered, the apex court is determine to rise and restore the people’s confidence on the judicial system by upholding the will of the people. The affirmation of Mr Udom Emmanuel as the executive governor of Akwa Ibom state will be victory for the people. It will be an endorsement for the governor to continue in his people centered progammes and governance.
So far, the Supreme Court has shown that there cannot be selective judgment. This has again rekindled Akwa Ibom people’s hope on the judiciary. The country cannot afford to have conflicting judgments on the same case. Since the Supreme Court has affirmed in all it judgments that the fictitious Card Reader cannot invalidate election, and that cancellation of election is unit by unit based on the available evidence. The apex court had upheld that one person’s testimony or more cannot cancel election in the entire local government, and that cancellation must take place in unities based on evidence and prove beyond all reasonable doubt that there was irregularity.
Based on these established grounds, the divine mandate is save. The will God and that of the people shall prevail at the Supreme Court. It shall be victory for democracy and the people; it will consolidate the industrial strides of Governor Udom Emmanuel administration. The industrial revolution which is about to flood Akwa Ibom state must be protected from being aborted by any bias judicial pronouncement at infant. Mr Udom Emmanuel holds the key to industrial development of Akwa Ibom state. He has led the way since assumption of office in May last year because he knows the way. Today, Akwa Ibom state is the most visit states in Nigeria by investors. Industrialization is the only way to grow Akwa Ibom economy and create jobs, that’s exactly what the governor is doing. AkwaIbomIsPDP. The Supreme Court will save the divine mandate. God bless Akwa Abasi Ibom State.
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