The Rivers State Governorship Election Tribunal has dismissed the petition filed by the governorship candidate of Action Democratic Party (ADP), Victor Fingesi against the re-election of Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike.
The tribunal described the petition as an adventure to discover the non-existent. It declared that in the end, nothing was discovered by the petitioner.
In a judgment read by the Tribunal Chairman, Justice Kingsley Orjiako on Saturday, the Tribunal ruled that Fingesi of the ADP lacks the locus standi to file the petition.
The Tribunal held that inconsistent facts contained in the petition filed by the ADP Governorship Candidate makes it incompetent.
According to the Tribunal, the petitioner in his own petition, wrote that he was challenging the election of the first petitioner.
The Tribunal noted that an election petition must challenge the person returned as winner and not the petitioner.
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Justice Orjiako stated that the Tribunal had earlier struck out the petition on the premise and the petitioner went on appeal, affirming that the petitioner lacks locus standi in view of the paragraphs of his own petition.
According to the Tribunal, despite the litany of documents pleaded by the petitioner, he could only tender Newspaper Reports.
The Tribunal said that INEC has the power to suspend an election, in line with Section 26 (1) of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.
The Tribunal further stated there is no evidence that after the suspension of the election, the petitioners refused to participate in the process. The Court declared that the petitioners have failed to adduce evidence to impugn the election of Governor Wike.
