Rivers guber election: Peterside, APC shun inspection of materials

Rivers State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, his party and other petitioners at the State Election Petition Tribunal, yesterday, boycotted the inspection of election materials used in the last general election in the state.

The external solicitor to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr. Julius Mba, announced the boycott yesterday, at the Commission’s office along Aba road, Port Harcourt.
Mba stated that parties involved in the case had, in their meeting on September 1, 2015, agreed to participate in the inspection of the election materials slated for 9am yesterday, and wondered why they shunned the exercise.
He pointed out that the inspection of the materials was in compliance with the order given by the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja, on June 11, and re-affirmed by the same tribunal in a later sitting, that INEC should allow the petitioners access to the materials.
“We are surprised that after agreeing in our meeting yesterday, to meet by 9am today (Wednesday), to inspect the materials used in the April 11, 2015 election, none of the petitioners, their solicitors or agents is present. We would not mind to stay throughout today or even tomorrow, to wait for them.
“We, the Commission, being entrusted to conduct the said election in question, have played our role. We are not supporting any party. Our position is clear; we are not taking side”, he said.
The INEC’s external solicitor said the petitioners had been allowed to inspect the materials in the Commission’s obedience to the order of the tribunal by making available the documents.
He said: “INEC in due compliance with the tribunal order of June 11, 2015, obeyed; but, the petitioners are not available. It is our documents, we cannot inspect them; they are to inspect them.”
Reacting to the statement, counsel to APC, Henry Odili, stated that INEC had denied them access to, “photocopy, inspect and scan all the materials” used for the election, which was granted by the tribunal.
Odili said INEC refused to obey the first order by the tribunal and wondered why the Commission would be playing to the gallery.
Those present at the inspection process were INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner in the State, Dame Gesila Khan, the External Solicitor, Mba; governor Nyesom Wike’s team of solicitors led by Dan Okoh (SAN), his agents and the solicitor to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).