The Rivers State Governorship Election Tribunal has suffered a temporary setback. The Tribunal sitting in Abuja resumed earlier today to continue hearing on the petition brought by the APC and its governorship candidate, DAKUKU PETERSIDE, challenging the election of Governor NYESOM WIKE. However; counsel to the respondents, including the PDP, Governor WIKE and the Independent National Electoral Commission, filed a motion for stay of proceedings. In the motion, the respondents drew the attention of the Tribunal to a ruling by the Court of Appeal over the weekend, in which it directed the tribunal to give its verdict on three pending motions. Following the development; the Chairman of the Tribunal approved a short adjournment to reconvene tomorrow, before which the panel would have studied the Court of Appeal ruling and make a decision. Speaking after the proceedings; counsel to the APC, AKIN OLUJIMI dismissed speculations that the development could affect the entirety of the case. EMMANUEL OKALA who is counsel to Governor NYESOM also spoke on the outcome of today’s brief proceedings in an interview with our correspondent. Correspondent JAMES IGAH reports the APC and its governorship candidate, DAKUKU PETERSIDE have so far called in twenty-two witnesses out of about two hundred to support their petition, as has eleven days left to conclude their case.
