RIVERS GUBER: AAC alleges plot to reconstitute election petition tribunal

The African Action Alliance (AAC) has alleged that some political actors in Rivers State were plotting to instigate the reconstitution of the ongoing state election petition tribunal, sitting in the capital of Port-Harcourt.

The party made the allegation on Monday through its National chairman, Dr Leonard Nzenwa, while he was addressing newsmen at a press conference in Abuja.

According to Nzenwa, the leadership of the AAC intercepted a letter to that effect, stating further that the party’s state governorship candidate in the 2019 poll, Mr Awara Biokpomaso Festus, was behind the plot.

According to him, Mr Awara was acting the script of “his paymasters” who he claimed, “have hijacked his governorship race.”

Nzenwa also used the opportunity to appeal to the judiciary not to allow some politicians with selfish ambitions manipulate its decisions.

He said; “The leadership of the party has intercepted a letter written by one Mr Tawo E. Tawo, SAN on behalf Mr. Awara Biokpomabo Festus the governorship candidate of our Party at the 2019 general election without consultation with the Party and without notice to all other parties involved in the election petition to the President of the Court of Appeal seeking the reconstitution of the panel.

“This second panel headed by Justice K. A. Ojiako commenced sitting on 19th June 2019. ” It is this panel yet again that the Mr Awara working with persons who are not members of our Party but who have hijacked his governorship race seeks to disband and requesting for a new panel.

“We have at various fora complained about the hijack of the governorship ambition and race of Mr Awara.

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“Our worry is that while we do not have any worries anymore with what Mr Awara does with his personal life, it is our worry and challenge that in this obnoxious plot by Mr Awara and his paymasters, they have at every time dragged the good name of our great party into their evil plot.

“Our party did not go into the Rivers State governorship election with the intention to win as the prevailing circumstances than did not allow us to the campaign.

“Our party’s candidate did not campaign, the party did not have agents in most of the polling units in the state, hence our party is concerned that this hijack of our governorship candidate by forces willing and ready to compromise the entire judiciary and which were done with the full consent and connivance of our former National Chairman, Mr Omoyele Sowore is not in the interest of the people of Nigeria and good people of Rivers State particularly.

“The said letter by the Mr Awara was surreptitiously sent to the office of the President of the Court of Appeal against the normal practice for the respondents and indeed all parties in the election petition to be copied the letter.

“It must be mentioned that the Order of the Court of Appeal did not also include the reconstitution of the Tribunal that is to hear the matter as wrongfully contained in the letter.

“Mr Tawo E. Tawo, SAN on behalf of Mr Awara had at the resumed hearing of the Tribunal acknowledged that the contents of his letter were not correct and claimed he was misled in asking for the reconstitution of the Panel as though it was what was ordered by the Court.

“At this point, it would be proper to exhibit to you a copy of the letter written by Mr Tawo E. Tawo on behalf Mr Awara which the learned Senior Advocate smuggled into the office of the President of the Court of Appeal against the best practices of copying other parties in the suit,” Nzenwa added.

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