The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike closed his case with
24 witnesses at the state Governorship Election Petitions
Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Tuesday.

Wike, who contested the April 11, 2015 poll as the Peoples
Democratic Party’s candidate, did not attend the Tuesday’s
proceedings to the disappointment of some of his supporters
and the petitioners’ side who had expected that the governor
would wrap up his defence with his personal testimony on
Tuesday.

An unusual crowd comprising both the loyalists of the governor
and the opposition All Progressives Congress had besieged the
court in expectation that Wike would appear in court to testify
on the last day of his defence, as the APC candidate, Dr.
Dakuku Peterside, did on the day he closed his own case.
But it only became clear that Wike would not appear before the
tribunal on Tuesday when his lawyer, Mr. Emmanuel Ukala
(SAN), shortly after tendering some documents as exhibits,
announced to the Justice Mohammed Ambrosa-led tribunal that
the governor’s case had been closed.

Ukala did not call additional witnesses on Tuesday. Wike,
within the six days allotted to him, called a total of 24 witnesses.
INEC, the first respondent to the petition, through its counsel,
Mr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), called a total of 16 witnesses
testifying that the April 11 governorship election in Rivers State
was peacefully held and credible.

The petitioners, the APC and Peterside, had called 52 witnesses,
who had during their time in their time in the witness box
painted a picture of violence and massive irregularities
characterising the poll.

Among the last set of witnesses called by Wike earlier on
Monday was a former National Commissioner of INEC, Dr.
Christopher Iyimoga, who testified that contrary to the assertion
of the petitioners’ witnesses, the April 11, 2015 governorship
election in Rivers State was free, fair and was peacefully
conducted.

Meanwhile, part of the documents tendered by Wike’s lawyer
on Tuesday were a copy of the APC notice of primaries to the
Independent National Electoral Commission, a Certificate of
Return presented by INEC to Wike, list of APC agents in the
election and organogramme of INEC in Rivers State.

Another set of exhibits tendered by the petitioners were copies
of pages from two editions of This Day Newspaper.

Lawyer to the APC and Peterside, Chief Akin Olujinmi (SAN),
objected to the admissibility of the documents but indicated that
he would argue his reasons for his objection in his final written
address.

With the closing of Wike’s case on Tuesday, it is now the turn
of the Wike’s party, the PDP, to open its case.

The PDP’s lawyer, Chris Uche (SAN), said he would open his
client’s case on Thursday as he conceded that Wednesday, the
day he was scheduled to begin his case, should be subtracted
from the total of six days allotted to his client.

“We have seen how hard the tribunal is working, so we wish to
donate our tomorrow, Wednesday, to the tribunal. We request
that we be allowed to commence our case on Thursday,” Uche
said.

The tribunal chairman, Justice Ambrosa, acceded to the request
and adjourned till Thursday.

The PDP being the last of the three respondents to the petition,
at the end of its case, the tribunal will adjourn for all the parties
to the petition to adopt their final written addresses, following
which judgment will be delivered.