As a keen observer and commentator on Nigeria’s politics, one is at a loss
to understand the reasons, though not yet communicated on how the Supreme
Court arrived at its judgement which upheld the electoral victory of
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state in view of what transpired on April
11, 2015 the gubernatorial election day, which was characterized by
massive violence and was an extension of the violence which also blighted
the political party campaigns in the run up to the election.
if we recollect, Rivers state was the only state in the federation in
which the campaign ground of a political party was attacked with
dynamites, explosives and shooting of guns in broad day light, leading to
injuries and loss of lives. The level of violence unleashed on the people
of Rivers state prior and during the 2015 general election was
unparalleled in our political history.
It is an indisputable fact that on election day, hell broke loose as the
state was virtually turned into a theatre of war as reports of violence
was the order of the day. Political thugs and miscreants took over the
state, snatching ballot boxes, assaulted security agents, political party
agents, voters, observers, INEC personnel were forced at gun point to
jettison the use of PVC and Card reader in the process of conducting the
election, limbs were damaged and lives were lost, etc.
At the end of the day in an election which can best be described as an
election of violence of which the whole world expected a cancellation due
to massive violence that didn’t allow for a credible election to take
place and which was an anathema to democracy, INEC to the consternation of
lovers peace and democracy announced Mr. Nyesom Wike of the PDP as the
winner.
In their reports, the observers, local and international such as the
European Union, American embassy, etc all condemned the exercise as a sore
point of the conduct of the 2015 general elections and called on the
Nigerian authorities to put in place machineries to correct the
abnormalities observed.
In deference to the glaring fact that what took place in Rivers state on
April 11, 2015 was not an election and cannot be an election, the Rivers
state gubernatorial elections petitions tribunal and the court of appeal,
nullified the so called election based on petition from aggrieved parties.
Note also, that in this election the rules put in place by the electoral
umpire was violated with impunity by electoral criminals which made it
possible for the “winner” to score more votes than the number of
authenticated figure of voters captured by the e-card reader which was a
strong basis for the nullification of the “election” by the two courts.
However, the Supreme Court in its wisdom has upheld the results of the
“election” which produced Mr. Nyesom Wike as governor and this has left
adherents of peace and democracy perplexed and asking, if justice has been
served in this matter to the good people of Rivers state in particular and
Nigerians in general? If you ask me, I would respond with a capital No.
While we await the reasons for the judgement of the Supreme Court, it
becomes pertinent to state that though this judgement cannot be appealed
further, the truth which cannot be obliterated is that this judgement like
has become noted of Nigeria’s judiciary in recent times is that, it is
honestly speaking, a mystery.
Nelson Ekujumi