Rivers State Elections Tribunal Judgement is Victory for Democracy – Group

The Committee for the Protection of Peoples Mandate (CPPM) has declared that the Rivers State Elections Tribunal judgement which ordered a rerun is a victory for democracy.In a press statement released on Sunday, the group declared that the judgement is “sound” and confirms that the April 11th 2015 gubernatorial election in Rivers State was characterised with fraud, lawlessness and impunity, “perpetuated by agents of evil.”The press statement signed by its Executive Chairman, Nelson Ekujumi, read in part: “We regard this tribunal judgement as heartwarming, sound in logic, responsible, responsive, justice to the memory of the electoral martyrs, upholding of the tenets of democracy and the rule of law which is incontrovertible.”“We, as well commend the courage, forthrightness, resoluteness, focus and obedience to constitutional oath by members of the Rivers State gubernatorial election tribunal in dispensing justice to the Nigerian people despite the threats, blackmail and campaign of calumny against it and of which, there is still more to come in the days ahead by anti-democratic elements and their agents.”“It was generally acknowledged by local and international election observers, voters, the media, patriotic security agencies and the political parties with the exception of the beneficiary political party and their partners in crime, that what took place in Rivers State on April 11th, 2015 in the name of the gubernatorial elections was not an election, but a war.”“The level of violence that characterized the 2015 gubernatorial elections in Rivers and Akwa Ibom state were unparalled in Nigeria’s political history. Rivers state in particular, scored a first in political violence when a political party campaign ground was blown up with explosives and dynamites and the security agencies were helpless because of the powers that be.”In view of the irregularities observed by the tribunal, the group demanded that an immediate investigation of the violence that pervaded Rivers state during the election and an immediate investigation of the roles of the security agencies in undermining national security for pecuniary and political reasons.