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By Godwin Chukwumaechi, Port Harcourt
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, is clearly in distress as the National leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday asked Emmanuel Ukala, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), counsel to the Rivers State chapter not to represent the party in the appeal filed against the Accord and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Consequently, the governor has declared a “fight to finish,” promising to “hit back” at the leadership of the PDP over the action which he described as anti-party activities.
The PDP national leadership made its position known via a letter read out before the Appeal Court sitting in Port Harcourt, debriefing Emmanuel Ukala and instructing Johnson Usman also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) to take over the appeals.
Reports have it that the PDP also debriefed Ukala from the appeal against the All Progressives Congress’ National Assembly candidates.
Parties in the case did not oppose the decision of the PDP national, and the three-man appeal panel led by Justice Joseph Ikyegh granted the request and adjourned till 3rd of February, 2023 following a request by the new PDP counsel, Johnson Usman.
Reacting to the incident at the PDP Etche Local Government Area (LGA) campaign rally in Rivers State on Monday, Wike accused the National Working Committee of the party of colluding with the opposition in the state and told party supporters in Etche LGA that trouble had come.
He said; “Those of them in Abuja that are talking about anti-party, we have caught them now. They are the ones doing their anti-party.
“I have caught them now and I told them anti-party begets anti-party. You know we carried these small parties to court for failing to do what the law says – APC, SDP.
“The people in Abuja that say they are national have gone to collude with them to write our lawyer a letter that they should take their hands off, in order to kill the cases we filed.”
Wike added that despite having told the state chapter’s counsel to “remove their hands,” he has no problem with the case dying and declared his plans to fight back.
“I will hit them back by tomorrow,” Wike said. “There is nobody that touches us that will not get a wound on his body. Anybody that says he will touch us in Rivers State, I will give him many wounds on his body– and we have started it.
“We are voting for our people here. Now you have told us you are doing anti-party, we’ll show you what anti-party is. We have caught them red-handed. They are the ones that started anti-party.
We didn’t do anti-party. Anyway, it has been in their blood. Now, they have shown their hands. You people should just watch from tomorrow what will happen to them”.
The governor told the crowd not to cry for his political enemies, saying they are not “our people”.
He said; “Don’t cry when armed robbers catch them because we will teach armed robbers a lesson. We will deal with armed robbers so that they will know it’s not good to steal other people’s things. That’s how we will deal with them tomorrow”.
The governor also urged the party’s supporters to await the decision of Rivers PDP saying; “So, Chief Emma Anyanwu, Allwell Onyesoh, Kelechi, party chairman, all of them will start work to tell you what we have agreed. Anything they say is our agreement; that is what we agreed. Heaven will not fall.
“These few days that remain, it’s a battle to the finish. If you say we won’t be there, you won’t be there either,” he said.
Meanwhile, the new counsel to the PDP, Johnson Usman, explained his mission to journalists; “I’m in court this morning because the PDP through its national legal adviser briefed me to take over an appeal filed by PDP against INEC and other candidates of other political parties which appeal is pending before this Appeal Court Port Harcourt Division. That’s why I’m in court this morning.
“What I know is that by PDP constitution every case filed is filed on the authority of the party’s national legal adviser, pursuance to NWC resolution. In this case I was not privy to what transpired before, I was issued a letter to take over the appeal and that is all I know.
“The former counsel withdrew his appearance and I announced my appearance and informed the court that I was just briefed and prayed for a short date for me to look at the processes filed and then take a position in accordance with my briefing”.
Confirming the withdrawal of the former PDP counsel, Mohammed Abdullahi, counsel to Accord Party said; “Well this is a proceeding that has an off shoot from the Federal High Court. We won at the Federal High Court, you are aware that all the suits were struck out, they now appealed our ruling.
We are here, we have filled all our processes, we have exchanged briefs. But to our shock this morning, the counsel to the appellant appeared and said he had been debriefed and that all processes be served perhaps at the national headquarters of the PDP.
“So they have the right to change counsel, change of counsel is a constructional right. We didn’t oppose it and the matter has been adjourned to Friday February 3. If they are ready they will brief a lawyer, if we don’t see any lawyer we take necessary steps as provided by the law”.