Governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Rivers State, Prince Tonye Princewill, has described the decision of Governor Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike to approach the Supreme Court to challenge his sack by the Court of Appeal as a waste of time.
He said Wike, who contested the April 11, 2015 governorship election in the state on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), refused to accept his advice not to go beyond the tribunal stage.
Princewill spoke in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Wednesday night in reaction to the Court of Appeal judgement that ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh election in the state within 90 days.
He said, “Ordinarily I would not bother to comment on news that is not only inevitable but in progress. We still have to wait for the Supreme Court. Wike refused to accept my advice at the tribunal stage and still went ahead to appeal the judgement.
“It is, therefore, reasonable to assume he will maintain the same stubborn stance and delay the inevitable yet again. It is, after all, his prerogative.
“Anyone who is truly confident of his popularity should not be afraid to face the electorate. PDP has a lot of supporters. But everyday they drag this process out, they may lose more and more and more.
“Forget the arrogance of politicians, nobody knows what the outcome of an election will be, but everyone with a conscience knows that the one we had in 2015 was neither free nor fair nor credible. It can’t stand scrutiny. As we have now seen.
“As for the conduct of future elections in Rivers, it is worth noting the supremacy of the card reader as now contained in this judgement and the way elections in Kogi and Bayelsa went. We still have lessons to learn. My main concern remains security.
“Both APC and the PDP have shown desperation and an unmitigated desire for power at all costs. The recent black and white march charades can not conceal the blood they both spilled. People are not foolish.
“My consolation is God does not sleep. As for the decision on what I do as the Labour Party candidate, this is not a choice strictly for me alone to make. My ambition is not the priority, the ambition of the state is. So far I have followed spiritual guidance and it has given me peace.
“This time will be no different. I am not desperate to be Governor. But I will not go quietly into the night. What I will say is I will sponsor every Labour Party candidate who shows a real desire to contest their rerun. A statement on my election will be made when a vacancy arises.”