S-Court Throws Out Wike’s Suit On Jurisdiction

The Supreme Court heaped more trouble on Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State as it dismissed the appeal challenging the jurisdiction of the Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.

The tribunal on Saturday annulled the April 11 gubernatorial poll that brought Wike to power and this was followed on Monday with the sack of 20 members of the State House of Assembly.

In their judgment early Tuesday in Abuja, a seven-man panel of justices of the apex court led by Justice John Fabiyi held that the panel that sacked Wike was properly constituted.

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The apex court maintained that the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Zulkachuwa acted within her powers when she relocated the tribunal from Rivers State to Abuja.

In the lead judgment read by Justice ‎Amiru Sanusi, the court held that the “evidence abound that there was serious security challenges prevailing in Rivers State which therefore called for the doctrine of necessity to be adopted”.

The apex court further held that the relocation of the tribunal to Abuja was to safeguard the lives of the Chairman and members of the panel that heard the petition that was lodged against Wike by the All Progressives Congress, APC, and its governorship candidate in Rivers State, Dr. Dakuku Peterside.

“I am unable to see any merit in this appeal and I hereby dismiss it without any order as to cost”, Justice Sanusi held.

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All the other members of the apex court panel also concurred ‎with the lead verdict.

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