The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has alleged a grand conspiracy between the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) and some judges to frustrate the party’s petitions brought before the tribunals in respect of the March 28 and April 11 general elections in the State.
The party made the allegation following the shocking ruling on Tuesday by the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal in the matters of Dr. Dawari George and Mr. Lucky Odili of Asari-Toru/Akuku-Toru Federal Constituency and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Federal Constituency respectively. Both men had filed petitions challenging the victory of Hon. Boma Goodhead of Asari-Toru/Akuku-Toru Federal Constituency and Prince Nnam Obi of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Federal Constituency. The Tribunal surprisingly dismissed the petitions on the grounds that APC’s revised notice for the conduct of the party’s primaries for the said elections was not within the stipulated 21 days.
Rivers APC Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, said in a statement issued on Monday in Port Harcourt: “While the party was still grappling with the seeming partiality of Justice Lambo Akanbi of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt which deliberately denied the 22 elected Local Government Chairmen the right to fair hearing in a matter brought before it by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), another panel of judges presiding over the National Assembly election petition tribunals moved again to create its own laws outside the Electoral Act 2011, denying Dr. Dawari George and Mr. Lucky Odili the right to fair hearing in their petitions against INEC and PDP.
