Evidence Suggests Supreme Court Verdict On Rivers Governorship Was Compromised, Contestant Says

Evidence Suggests Supreme Court
Verdict On Rivers Governorship Was
Compromised, Contestant Says
Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside, the candidate of
the All Progressives Congress in the 2015
Rivers State governorship contest, has said
in Port Harcourt there is emerging evidence
that Nyesom Wike and his supporters knew
ahead of time the Supreme Court would rule
in the governor's favour. r. Dakuku Adol Peterside, the candidate of the All
Progressives Congress in the 2015 Rivers State
governorship contest, has said in Port Harcourt
there is emerging evidence that Nyesom Wike and
his supporters knew ahead of time the Supreme Court
would rule in the governor's favour.
He made the remark at a press conference on Tuesday.
On January 27, the Supreme Court upturned the decisions
of the Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal
and the Appeal Court which had annulled Wike's election
as governor. Dr. Peterside recalled that despite receiving
the judgment with mixed feelings, he came out to publicly
announce his unreserved acceptance of the verdict.
He noted however that a few days later, in an address to
civil servants in Port Harcourt, the governor exhibited
"unconscionable indiscretion of the highest order" by re-
echoing his earlier incendiary statements threatening INEC
personnel with death over the forthcoming National and
State Assemblies rerun elections, Peterside noted.
He stressed that Wike's new open threat confirmed another
last December in which the governor had stated, "We are
not afraid of any re-run at all. But we have always said if
they said there should be a re-run, let it be a re-run and not
to write the result. Let them bring anybody as INEC official
from anywhere that wants to be funny, I wish the person
must have written his Will before he comes."
"This is the most callous statement anyone can make,
much more a state governor," the former APC contestant
said. "It is a known fact that Wike promotes violence and
believes so much in jungle justice but he forgets that such
outlook does not have any place in a civilized society."
With reference to the Supreme Court verdict, Peterside said
that, by his unguarded utterance last Sunday, Wike seems
to give credence to the pervading doubt being expressed on
the judgment in public space especially in the media.
"Many a Nigerian continues to wonder why PDP and Gov.
Wike's supporters went on wild celebration across Rivers
State as early as 9am on the day of judgment even if the
actual verdict was handed down at about 6:20pm of that
day," he said, adding that it clearly suggests that they
might have been in the know of what the judgment would be
long before the Supreme Court pronounced it.
The APC candidate tied that development into several
public comments that have been made, especially on social
media about weeks earlier in which someone said, "Thank
God there will now be no need for a rerun election..... It is
surely ending at the Supreme Court."
Peterside also drew attention credible information which
confirmed that Wike had earlier confessed to some persons
of his having met one of the Justices of the Supreme Court
in Mbaise at a burial, yet another at Owerri in a hotel, and
others in Dubai and Saudi Arabia respectively.
"These Justices were in the panel that decided the matter in
Wike's favour," he pointed out, underlining that the most
striking revelation by Wike is contained in his account at a
thanksgiving service last Sunday.
"He obviously stunned his audience and the watching world
when he confessed that when it came to the Judges, Dr.
Peter Odili and the wife Justice Mary Odili [a Justice of the
Supreme Court] were his advisers," Peterside said. "This
simply confirmed his earlier statements that he had contact
with the Justices after several attempts to reach the Chief
Justice of the country failed. It is therefore obvious that the
decision of the Supreme Court on the Rivers State Election
was not a product of justice but rather a product of
compromise and orchestrated contrivance to legalise
electoral violence and rigging and, in turn, reward injustice.
This calls for serious introspection by our Judiciary and
judicial officers."
Continuing, Peterside said that Gov. Wike, probably
forgetting that he was on a live telecast at the service,
stated: "Let me thank our former governor, Dr. Peter Odili
[husband of Supreme Court Justice, Mary Odili]. He will
call me midnight to tell me what to do....he will say 'go so
so place.' I took all his advice, and here we are today."
According to the former governorship candidate, "This
shocking confession needs no further explanation except
for you and other decent Nigerians to further make your fair
conclusions."
Full text of the press statement:
BEING PRESS STATEMENT BY THE 2015 GOVERNORSHIP
CANDIDATE OF THE APC, RIVERS STATE, DR. DAKUKU
ADOL PETERSIDE, ISSUED AT A PRESS CONFERENCE THAT
TOOK PLACE AT THE STATE PARTY SECRETARIAT, OLD
GRA, PORT HARCOURT ON TUESDAY, 9TH MARCH, 2016.
GENTLEMEN OF THE PRESS,
INTRODUCTION
You will recall that on Wednesday, January 27, 2016 the
Nigerian Supreme Court handed down judgment on the
Rivers State Governorship matter. In that judgment, the
apex court upheld the appeal by Gov. Nyesom Wike against
the earlier decisions by the Rivers State Governorship
Election Petition Tribunal and the Appeal Court which
concurrently annulled Nyesom Wike's election as governor.
NYESOM WIKE'S UNBECOMING THREAT TO INEC, OTHERS
Consequent upon the judgment by the Supreme Court, I, the
APC Governorship Candidate, Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside,
despite receiving the judgment with mixed feelings, came
out to publicly announce my unreserved acceptance of the
verdict. However, a few days later, the Governor, while
addressing Civil Servants in Port Harcourt exhibited
unconscionable indiscretion of the highest order by re-
echoing his earlier incendiary statements threatening INEC
personnel with death over the forthcoming National and
State Assemblies rerun elections. He said, "Anyone who
plans to rig an election is an armed robber and should be
treated as such. If you are coming to rig an election in the
state, first prepare your will before embarking on the
journey. Inform your wife or husband and go ahead to say
your last prayer."
The above statement by Gov. Nyesom Wike confirms his
earlier threat last December while commenting on the rerun
elections in Rivers State. Then he had stated, "We are not
afraid of any re-run at all. But we have always said if they
said there should be a re-run, let it be a re-run and not to
write the result. Let them bring anybody as INEC official
from anywhere that wants to be funny, I wish the person
must have written his Will before he comes."
This is the most callous statement anyone can make, much
more a state governor. It is a known fact that Wike
promotes violence and believes so much in jungle justice
but he forgets that such outlook does not have any place in
a civilized society.
WIKE'S SHOCKING REVELATION ON THE SUPREME COURT
JUDGMENT
Despite my acceptance and temperate public comments on
the verdict of the Supreme Court on the 27th of January,
2016 Gov. Nyesom Wike, by his unguarded utterance last
Sunday, seems to give credence to the pervading doubt
being expressed on the judgment in public space especially
in the media. Many a Nigerian continues to wonder why
PDP and Gov. Wike's supporters went on wild celebration
across Rivers State as early as 9am on the day of judgment
even if the actual verdict was handed down at about
6:20pm of that day. It clearly suggests that they might have
been in the know of what the judgment would be long before
the Supreme Court pronounced it. This is coupled with
several comments especially on the social media some 3
weeks earlier such as "Thank God there will now be no
need for a rerun election..... It is surely ending at the
Supreme Court," etc. etc.
Credible information confirmed that Nyesom Wike had
earlier confessed to some persons of having met one of the
Justices of the Supreme Court in Mbaise during an
important burial, another at Owerri in a hotel and yet others
in Dubai and Saudi Arabia respectively. These Justices
were in the panel that decided the matter in Wike's favour.
However, the most striking revelation by Nyesom Wike is
contained in his account at the thanksgiving service last
Sunday. He obviously stunned his audience and the
watching world when he confessed that when it came to the
Judges, Dr. Peter Odili and the wife Justice Mary Odili [a
Justice of the Supreme Court] were his advisers. This
simply confirmed his earlier statements that he had contact
with the Justices after several attempts to reach the Chief
Justice of the country failed. It is therefore obvious that the
decision of the Supreme Court on the Rivers State Election
was not a product of justice but rather a product of
compromise and orchestrated contrivance to legalise
electoral violence and rigging and, in turn, reward injustice.
This calls for serious introspection by our Judiciary and
judicial officers.
For the records, in his speech at the church service, Gov.
Nyesom Wike probably forgot that he was on live telecast
when he stated: "Let me thank our former governor, Dr.
Peter Odili [husband of Supreme Court Justice, Mary Odili].
He will call me midnight to tell me what to do....he will say
'go so so place.' I took all his advice, and here we are
today." This shocking confession needs no further
explanation except for you and other decent Nigerians to
further make your fair conclusions.
THREAT OF BLOOD FLOWING WERE THERE TO BE A
GOVERNORSHIP RERUN ELECTION
Still speaking at the thanksgiving service, Nyesom Wike
said that he would not have given up if the verdict did not
end in his favour. He said that through the ruling, the apex
court helped in preventing bloodshed in Rivers State.
Hear him: "Blood would have flowed if the election was
going to hold again....So, I called some people including
the Chairman of PDP, Uche Secondus, that I was not going
to run again. They said why and I explained that if I did,
many people would die."
These voluntary confessions made by Gov. Nyesom Wike
confirm beyond doubt that Nyesom Wike was obviously
behind the orgy of violence during the last elections. He
funded and sponsored it. Juxtaposed with his recent
threats, it is obvious Nyesom Wike thinks he can dare the
state and people of Rivers state and will always get away
with reward of visiting violence on innocent people.
WIKE MUST STOP INSULTING MR PRESIDENT AND
DENIGRATING THE NIGERIAN MILITARY
Continuing on his verbal incontinence at the church
service, Nyesom Wike lampooned President Muhammadu
Buhari and the Nigerian military. He dared President Buhari
thus: "If you like bring your Boko Haram soldiers to Rivers
State, I will enter INEC office on election day [National and
State Assembly rerun elections), let me see who will push
me out."
This kind of statement typifies the persona of Gov. Nyesom
Wike as someone lacking in respect, patriotism and
character of being a councillor much more a state governor
in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Let me draw the attention of Nyesom Wike to the fact that it
is most callous of him to demonstrate such level of
denigration on the gallant officers and men of the Nigerian
military who are putting their lives at risk every other day
to safeguard the Nigeria state and citizens when he referred
to them as Boko Haram soldiers. I vehemently condemn
such display of verbal indiscretion against Mr. President
and the Nigerian military.
It is noteworthy that Gov. Nyesom Wike has vowed to fight
corruption his own way than support the anti-graft
campaign of the Buhari administration. According to Wike:
"We would not support the fight against corruption; we
would not take anybody to the EFCC because I know what
would happen."
Gentlemen of the press, I decided to bring these unfolding
events to the attention of Rivers people, Nigerians and the
world through you so that the grim situation starring us in
the face in Rivers State under the administration of Chief
Nyesom Wike can be better be understood by all. I thank
you for your attention.
Hon. Dakuku Adol Peterside, PhD
APC 2015 Governorship Candidate
Rivers State.

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