Wike: Appellate Court Throws Out Allegations against Thugs, Others

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has thrown out an appeal initiated by the All Progressives Congress (APC), and its governorship candidate in Rivers State, Dr. Dakuku Peterside.The appeal is specifically praying the court to reinstate some paragraphs that were struck out from their petition which questioned the governorship election of Nyesom Wike of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).It would be recalled that The Tribunal at the preliminary stage, had struck out all paragraphs containing allegations of electoral crime against named and un-named security agents and alleged political thugs.However, the petitioners were not satisfied with the ruling and appealed at the Court of Appeal, asking the Appellate Court to reinstate all such allegations.In its decision, the Court of Appeal declared that The Tribunal was right when it expunged those criminal allegations from its record.The Appellate Court equally expunged from the records all the evidence against named and un-named security agents and political thugs in the petition.Also, the Court of Appeal refused an application by the APC, which asked the President of the appellate court to constitute a new panel to hear the appeal that would flow from the judgment of the Justice Suleiman Ambrosa-led Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.