04042019 - Nigeria 7 other nstions home to world's hungriest - UN

12—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 2019
Delta: Court sacks PDP
Senator-elect, Nwaoboshi over
illegal primary election
By Ikechukwu
Nnochiri
ABUJA—A Federal
High Court in Abuja,
yesterday, sacked Senator
Peter Nwaoboshi, who was
re-elected on the platform
of the Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, to represent
Delta North Senatorial
District.
The court, in a judgment
by Justice Ahmed
Mohammed, held that
Nwaoboshi was not validly
nominated in the primary
election the PDP held in
Delta State on October 2,
2018.
The court ordered the
Independent National
Electoral Commission,
INEC, to immediately
publish the name of the
plaintiff, Prince Ned
Nwoko, declaring him as
the authentic candidate of
the PDP for Delta North
senatorial district.
Likewise, the court,
ordered Senator
Nwaoboshi who was the
3rd defendant in the case,
to stop parading himself as
the candidate of the PDP for
the senatorial district.
The plaintiff had in a preelection
suit alleged that
PDP leadership, illegally
submitted Nwaoboshi’s
name to INEC after he lost
the primary contest.
Judgment’ll not
stand test of time
—Nwaoboshi
Reacting to the ruling in
a statement by his
Legislative Assistant, Mr.
Onyeluka Igbonoba, Sen
Nwoboshi said he will
appeal the judgment,
saying it would not stand
the test of time.
The statement reads:
“Arising from the ruling of
a Federal High court which
sat April 3, 2019, in Abuja,
and the very erroneous
pronouncements made by
Justice A.R Mohammed,
Senator Nwaoboshi
appeals to his teeming
supporters and the good
people of Delta North to
remain calm in the face of
a judicial rascality that will
not stand the test of time.
He noted that while the
judgment only ordered
PDP to publish the name
of Alhaji Nwoko as the
candidate of PDP, the event
had been overtaken by time.
Rivers: Wike wins with 886, 264
votes as AAC kicks
•Today marks end of an era in Rivers —State Collation Officer
•We will study results and take action —AAC
•Atiku, Okowa, Secondus, Obi, others hail victory
By Festus Ahon,
Egufe Yafugborhi &
Iheanacho Davies
PORT HARCOURT—
THE stalemate over the
governorship election in
Rivers State came to an end
with yesterday’s
declaration of the
incumbent governor,
Nyesom Wike by the
Independent National
Electoral Commissioner,
INEC, as the winner of the
exercise.
The declaration of Wike,
who polled 886,264 votes to
defeat his closest rival, Mr.
Biokpomabo Awara of the
African Alliance Congress,
AAC, who garnered
173,859 votes, provoked
divergent reactions from
interested parties.
The Collation Officer in
the state, Prof Teddy Adias
said the registered voters
for areas where elections
were cancelled due to
violence, including the
entire Abua Odua and
Gokana LGAs were
inconsequential to Wike’s
winning margin of 712,405
votes.
While declaring the
result, Prof Adias said:
“Today marks the end of an
era that commenced on
March 9, 2019, when
Rivers people were
mobilised en-masse to elect
their governor.”
We’ll study report
—AAC
While the AAC agent,
Nenye Kocha said his party
would take a position on
the outcome, the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP,
agent and former Speaker
of House of
Representatives, Chief
Austin Opara, urged Awara
and his supporters to accept
the result and join in
building the state.
Kocha said:”We will study
the report and come up
with a position. The
decision of what to do next
can’t be mine to determine
alone. The party will sit and
take a position.”
On his part, Opara said:
“This is a victory for Rivers
people. The landslide
victory is a true reflection
of the wishes of Rivers
electorate.
“All we are saying now is
that it is time Rivers moved
away from violence during
elections. This is the time
to build and we urge the
opposition to join Governor
Wike to further move Rivers
forward”
Jubilations in Port
Harcourt
Meanwhile, jubilation
had erupted in some parts
of Port Harcourt as soon as
the final results and
declaration of Wike as
governor-elect filtered into
town.
Motorists and residents
also heaved a sigh of relief
in expectation that the
tension that had engulfed
Port Harcourt and the entire
state would become a thing
of the past.
Earlier, the PDP had
raised the alarm that the All
Progressives Congress,
APC, was planning to
disrupt the collation
exercise but that was not
the case as the result was
declared in an atmosphere
devoid of hitches.
It’s victory over
anti-democratic
forces —Atiku
Reacting to the victory,
presidential candidate of
the PDP, Alhaji Atiku
Abubakar, described Wike’s
triumph as a victory over
anti-democratic forces.
He said: “The PDP is
blessed to have a political
gladiator, such as you,
Wike on our side. The
indigenes of Rivers State
are fortunate to have a
genuine progressive return
to extend the frontiers of
progress and development
for them.
“And I am favoured to
count you, Governor Wike,
as my friend and brother,
and Rivers State as my
second home. As your
victory is savoured by men
of goodwill all over Nigeria,
I am sure you will continue
the pattern of good works
for which you have become
known for.”
Power truly belongs
to the people
—Okowa
Similarly, Delta State
governor, Sen Ifeanyi
Okowa said the outcome of
the poll was a testimony to
the fact that power belonged
to the people.
Okowa in a statement by
his Chief Press Secretary,
Mr. Charles Aniagwu said:
“Although the Rivers State
governorship election took
a long time, at the end the
will of the people prevailed
and I must thank INEC, for
doing the right thing in
ensuring that the true
results that emanated from
the units were duly collated.
“On behalf of the
government and people of
Delta State, I congratulate
my dear brother and
colleague, Nyesom Wike
on his well-deserved
victory in the just
concluded election. I also
congratulate our great
party in Rivers State and all
our teeming supporters
nationwide for this welldeserved
victory.
“From the margin of
victory, it is safe to say that
power indeed belongs to
the people and they decide
who to freely give it to.”
Wike has democracy
in his DNA
—Secondus
On his part, National
Chairman of the PDP,
Prince Uche Secondus said
Wike’s conduct while the
stalemate lasted showed
that he had democracy in
his DNA.
He said: “By your
peaceful conduct in the face
of provocations, you have
demonstrated truly that
democracy is in your DNA
and this we will continue
to exhibit until all nondemocrats
pretending to be
one are flushed out of our
polity.
‘’Nothing underscores
the desperation of APC
administration to hang on
to power at all cost
irrespective of the
consequences of such
actions, like the brazen
show of force displayed in
Kano supplementary
election.
“All of you elected on the
platform of this great party
should hold your heads
high because you went into
a contest with APC and
ended up in a fight with the
nation’s army and some of
their commanders.
“From 11 states when we
started this journey in
December 2017 to 13 before
the election and now 15
with a very hope for victory
in Osun, Kaduna,
Zamfara, Kano and
Nasarawa. There is hope for
this party. The strategic
spread of the PDP victories
speaks volume on the
character and strength of
our party as the only true
national platform in the
country.”
Vice Presidential
candidate of the PDP, Mr.
Peter Obi in his reaction,
hailed what he described as
the resilience of the people
of Rivers State.
Victory reinforces
confidence in
WIke —PDP
Similarly, the PDP in a
statement by its National
Publicity Secretary, Mr.
Kola Ologbodiyan, said the
victory reinforced the
confidence of the people in
WIke.
PDP said: “The victory
reinforces the confidence of
the people in the
resoluteness of asserting
their democratic choice of
leadership as well as
standing in defence of their
mandate to the end.
“It also demonstrated that
the will of the people will
always prevail against
every form of suppression
as eminently manifested in
the desperation of the APC
leaders to forcefully and
violently take over control
of the state against the wish
of the people.
“The party salutes and
venerates all compatriots,
who were killed by agents
of the oppressors during
the elections. These
compatriots did not die in
vain.
“The PDP commends
Governor Wike, the people
of Rivers State and all
lovers of democracy across
the board for standing firm
until the very end.
“The PDP congratulates
all our candidates, who won
their elections at all levels
across the country and
assures those pursuing
their stolen mandates at the
tribunals that the party is
fully behind them.’’
The state chairman of the
party, Mr. Felix Obuah said
the victory was for all lovers
of democracy in the state.