Election postponement, blessing for Rivers APC ― Cole campaign organisation

THE All Progressives Congress (APC), Rivers state chapter has expressed satisfaction over the postponement of the weekend presidential and national assembly elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Tonye Princewill, who is the Director, Strategic Organisation, Tonye Cole Campaign Organisations warned that the INEC must be prepared to accommodate the APC candidates in Rivers state for the election to hold.

Tribune Online checks revealed that the  Supreme Court in lead judgment delivered by Justice Sidi Barge upheld the order of a Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, nullifying the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries in Rivers State.

The apex court had held that the primaries were held in disobedience to a court judgment barring the party from conducting congresses,  pending the determination of a suit filed by 22 aggrieved members of the party.

Princewill in a statement noted that the apex court was silent on a judgment of the Court of Appeal which ordered the stay of execution of the judgment of Justice Chiwendu  Nworgu of the Rivers State high court.

He disclosed that the Cole campaign organisation had since served the INEC with a court of contempt proceedings for treating the Appeal Court judgment with disdain.

He said:”Even though the postponement of the elections did not come to me as a total surprise, I was still expecting the INEC Chairman to stubbornly push on and try to force through the elections regardless. I still see disaster come Saturday. Unless we’re on the ballot, the election won’t be smooth anywhere. The God of Rivers state wants justice and He will get it. We have not even had so much as an explanation from INEC.”

ALSO READ:  Former Edo Governor Igbinedion’s son, nephew die in auto crash…

Princewill alleged that there was an unholy fraternity between the Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike and the INEC chairman, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu. Incidentally, Governor Wike was Minister of State, Education while Professor Yakubu was chairman of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND).

“I had continued to maintain that Wike had since penetrated the judiciary, our security agencies and civil society with our money. Now it appears that the electoral umpire too is no longer immune to the Wike virus too. All dealing with him, do need to be made aware, your temporary high will eventually be replaced by very permanent lows. I’ve seen people vomiting ill-gotten wealth to then return it to the treasury. I’ve seen men and women lose their jobs for Wike. It’s not a very pleasant sight. We have two appeal court orders and one Supreme Court judgment in our favour. But if you listen to Wike, you will think that we lost. Money talks.”

The Cole campaign organisation maintained that the postponement of the election was a blessing in disguise as he claimed that it has exposed the rigging plans of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“Wike only has one strategy. Pay for the courts. Pay for the noise. Pay for violence. Pay pay pay. If only he had applied this to staff salaries, pensions and our scholars who are abroad, maybe the race would have been tighter. As it is now, even PDP want to get rid of him, if only Tonye Cole’s name and the names of all our other candidates are on the ballot. Wike knows this. Which is why he will do anything to prevent it. It’s an exercise in futility for him. We will overcome.”