Protracted Rivers Guber Election:  Hope Rises For Omehia

…As Court Rejects Amaechi's Plea

With all the delays and pranks to truncate the hearing of how the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) connived with the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Rivers State to rig the April 26, 2011 governorship election in the State in favour of the incumbent, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi now over, the coast has become clear for the election tribunal sitting in Port Harcourt to proceed with the retrial of the petition of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate, Celestine Omehia to prove his case.

This is sequel to the decision of the reconstituted Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal to hear Sir Omehia's alleged catalogue of acts of manipulation, fraud and massive election rigging, on account of which Chibuike Amaechi was declared the winner in the election.

Prior to this irreversible decision, governor Amaechi and the PDP had applied to the reconstituted tribunal not to go on with the retrial case as ordered by the Supreme Court, citing expiration of the stipulated 180 days of hearing all election matters as their reason.

But as it was at the Appeal and the Supreme Courts earlier, so it is. In his ruling, the chairman of the reconstituted election tribunal, Hon Justice Abdulahi Lemen said the matter must be heard on its merit because it is a retrial case not bound by section 285(6) of the electoral act.

Excited by the noteworthy sense of judgment and independence of judicial opinion, Somina Elekima, counsel to the APGA governorship candidate and former Rivers State Chief Executive, Celestine Omehia said the party is now set and well positioned to show the entire world how the collective will of the Rivers people was thrown to the dogs through trampling on their votes, an act APGA insists was masterminded by the INEC in favour of the ultimate beneficiary, governor Amaechi.

Mr Elekima insisted the April 26 election in Rivers State was anything but free and fair, expressing optimism that the election result will eventually be nullified on account of massive rigging.

According to APGA's advocate, this is the long awaited opportunity to expose the evil perpetrated by the accused against the wishes of the people, believing it will also give the people another chance to vote its preferred 'choice' candidate, Sir Celestine Ngozichim Omehia back to the Brick House.

Mr Elekima described the ruling as a brilliant one.

This was also corroborated by his client, Sir Celestine Omehia who did not hide his excitement over the final ruling.

He described it as justice personified and reflecting the mind of the people.

The highly resilient politician of Ikwerre stock also stressed that the tribunal's ruling has further plugged the PDP's usual penchant to truncate justice and always wanting a short-cut to victory.

Lauding the renewed spirit of the country's judicial independence, Sir Omehia said he has eventually been vindicated.

The embattled APGA guber candidate said he is ready and out to go to the entire length of judicial process to make sure the case is meritoriously proved and won at the end, stressing his prepareness to take over the government house from his cousin, Chibuike Amaechi.

On his programmes should he launch a second coming to the Brick House, Omehia said education, health etc. still remain topmost in his agenda.

Governor Amaechi's legal team led by Ifedayo Adedipe has however rejected the ruling.

According to Mr Adedipe, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, they might decide to appeal against the ruling but not until they have received a copy of the ruling.

It would be recalled that the contentious April 26 governorship election has traversed all the three levels of the Nigerian judiciary since the first election tribunal set the ball rolling but rejecting Omehia's application and supported by a lower court.

Unsatisfied and suspicious of a collaboration, Sir Celestine proceeded to the Appreal Court which after an indepth examination of the matter ordered that the tribunal should hear the case.

Also unimpressed with the Appeal Court's ruling, Gov Amaechi who lost to Omehia proceeded to the Apex Court for their intervention.

The Supreme Court eventually upheld the ruling of the Appeal Court.

Subsequently, the first election tribunal was discarded and reconstituted to retry the case. But Amaechi not yet done, applied to the reconstituted panel, praying that the retrial be dropped on the grounds that the stipulated 180 days for hearing of election cases had elapsed but the reconstituted panel says the retrial is unstoppable.

In another development, Sir Celestine Omehia has been granted the right to be included as a party in the subsisting tenure court case against governor Amaechi.

The case borders on Amaechi not supposed to contest the April 26, 2011 governorship election because he assumed office on October 26, 2007 and expected to terminate October 2011 and not May 2011.

It is also argued that governor Amaechi administration could not be assumed to be part of Omehia's###