Siminalayi Fubara: We Are Not Anxious Over Impending Tribunal Judgment – Nwuke

Siminalayi Fubara: We Are Not Anxious Over Impending Tribunal Judgment – Nwuke

By PHC Telegraph

The PDP says  anxiety is not what it feels at this point over the fact that the Rivers State Governor-ship Election Petition Tribunal has reserved judgment in a matter brought before it by the All Progressives Congress,  APC,  against  Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

Fielding questions in Port Harcourt on a chat programme, Let’s Talk broadcast by Wish FM on Thursday, Chief Ogbonna Nwuke, former Spokesman of the PDP said the party won the election and so has no reason to worry.

He said facts emanating from the tribunal indicate that the APC was more concerned about matters relating to Governor Fubara’s qualification to contest the election.

Nwuke observed that given the pronouncements made by the judiciary, the position of the law on issues related to the qualification of candidates in an election season is well known.

Matters pertaining to the selection of candidates, the courts up to the Supreme Court have maintained, are exclusively the internal business of political parties.

The former federal lawmaker noted that the PDP campaigned prior to the election and said its message of a better state resonated very well among voters.

Besides, he explained that the excellent performance of the Wike administration put the PDP in good stead to win all of the elections conducted in Rivers State by INEC.

The former commissioner of Information however said Nigerians could not quarrel with the optimum performance of BVAS machines.

But he admitted that there were people who felt seriously betrayed by the INEC’s failure to fulfill its promise to instantaneously upload the results of the last election.

The position of the law is clear on the electronic transmission of results,  he disclosed.

Nwuke pointed out, that there is nowhere in the Electoral Act as amended where the  uploading of results by electronic means is enshrined.

But he said it would be the duty of the National Assembly to put the electronic transmission of results in the Electoral Act.

Recall that when the card reader was first introduced in the 2015 election via INEC’s guidelines, the courts ruled that its existence was not known to law.

Reacting to Professor Wole Soyinka’s comment in South Africa relating to the antics of the Labour Party and its leader,  Nwuke said in response to a question that truth when spoken should not raise issues.

As a patriot,  Soyinka was striving to correct wrong notions which affect Nigeria’s image and reputation abroad when he said leaders of the Labour Party were acutely aware that Peter Obi did not win.

Rather than crucify the Nobel Laurette for speaking out, Nigerians should understand the context of the situation that influenced his speech.

We cannot continue de-marketing Nigeria,  Professor Bolaji Akinyemi had said on Arise Television a few days ago.

Nwuke said the PDP is grateful to Rivers people for the enormous support they gave to the party in the last election noting that the over 300,000 votes they gave to the party indicated quite clearly that Rivers is a PDP state.

He urged Nigerians to exercise patience, saying policies introduced by
government at all levels have to go through what he described as a gestation period.

The former lawmaker said that in the short run Nigerians would feel pain as a result of new economic policies.

However, he assured that in the mid term and the long run the people would reap from the sacrifices that are being made.