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… Vows to Recover Mandate at Appeal Court
By Joel Anekwe
The governorship candidate of the Accord Party in Rivers State, Dumo Lulu-Briggs, has declared that Precious Baridoo, on whose behest a Port Harcourt High Court sacked him (Lulu-Briggs) as the party’s candidate, is a surrogate of the state governor, Nyesom Wike.
Baridoo, a member of the Accord Party, had challenged the nomination of Dumo Lulu-Briggs as the governorship candidate of Accord Party in the state, arguing that Dumo did not participate in the primaries.
Addressing a press conference Thursday in reaction to the High Court judgment, Lulu-Briggs declared that Baridoo is a member of the PDP working very closely with the PDP chairman, adding that he was once a member of a caretaker committee of a local government under the Wike administration.
He described the case as “another dubious shenanigan by Governor Nyesom Wike who is afraid to go into any legitimate contest in the governorship elections and is doing everything possible, including sponsoring court cases against strong opponents in order to achieve his primitive ambition to contest the 2019 governorship election against himself alone”.
Lulu-Briggs further alleged that Baridoo is the chairman of the Rivers chapter of the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) even though he is not the chairman of any political party, stressing that he led 56 other parties to endorse governor Wike for a second term all to ensure that there is a no contest for Wike in the March 9 governorship election.
He said “Mr. Precious Baridoo is nothing but a willing tool in the hands of dubious and unprincipled politicians who are bent on scoring cheap psychological advantage a week to the governorship election. Precious Baridoo in all purposes and intent does not aspire to be Rivers State governor but to swell the ranks of political jobbers working for Governor Nyesom Wike. It is on record that:
“Mr. Precious Baridoo did not participate in the party primaries conducted by the NWC/NEC of Accord on 4th October, 2018 as he claimed because the national executive of the party has stated loudly that Mr. Baridoo did not procure the expression of intent and the governorship nomination forms of the party.
“There is also no proof that INEC issued Mr. Precious Baridoo with form CF001, which is the document given to officially nominated party candidates.
“The national executive of Accord had through its counsel stated unequivocally that the purported emergence of Mr. Precious Baridoo as governorship candidate is unknown to it as it did not conduct or authorize any such primary election in which Baridoo purportedly emerged.
“The national executive of Accord has also stated that the legitimate governorship Primary election of the party in Rivers State was the one conducted by the NWC/NEC of ACCORD on 4/10/2018 in Port Harcourt and Mr. Precious Baridoo was neither an aspirant nor a participant in that primary.
“It is important at this juncture to state that our above positions were properly deposed to in an affidavit and submitted as part of our prayers to the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, when we were served with the notice on motion to this matter in January 2019,” he said.
Speaking on his nomination, Lulu-Briggs declared: “Let me state without equivocation that I was the recognized and officially endorsed Rivers State governorship candidate of Accord both by the National Working Committee and leadership of the party and by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
“My nomination as the Rivers state Governorship candidate of Accord, followed and met all established and recognized due processes as stipulated by the Electoral Act of Nigeria as amended and the Rules and Guidelines for the 2019 elections, as laid down by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC,” he said.
He assured his supporters that he was still very much in the race stating that his legal team has filed a notice of appeal and stay of execution of the judgment by Justice E.A Mobile.
“In spite of these primitive tactics of Governor Nyesom Wike, I want to assure all our supporters and indeed all Rivers people that Dumo Lulu-Briggs is very much in the Rivers State Governorship race by the grace of God.
“We are not deterred by the pronouncement of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt as our legal team has promptly filed a Notice of Appeal and a motion of Stay of Execution of the judgement of Justice E.A Obile.
“As unfortunate as the court judgement was, it is a mere 24 hours setback as we are sure that the Court of Appeal will do justice and grant our stay of execution and finally set aside the judgement of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt.
“My quest to liberate Rivers State from the shackles of wicked politicians who want to continue to punish and impoverish our men and women, instigate our youths into violence and bloodshed and deny our children quality education, is still on track. Dumo Lulu-Briggs is still in the race by the grace of God. I have no godfather but God the father and by the grace of God and the will of Rivers people, we shall triumph and start the process to secure the future of every Rivers Man, woman and child,” he said.
