Rivers State Governor, Nyeson Wife, appears to have abandoned the Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate in the last presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as he has congratulated President Muhammadu bihari on his victory at the election tribunal.
The party has expressed shock and disapproval of the judgement delivered on Wednesday, with the indiction that it is advancing to the Supreme Court.
The election petition tribunal on Wednesday dismissed the petition by PDP against the election of Buhari, declaring him as the actual winner of the Feb. 23 presidential election.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja on Wednesday, the party said it would appeal the judgment at the Supreme Court.
But Wike of Rivers on Wednesday congratulated Buhari on the validation of his re-election by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
Wike’s congratulatory message was conveyed in a statement by Mr Simeon Nwakaudu, his Special Assistant on Electronic Media.
The governor urged Buhari to use his victory to work for all Nigerians, irrespective of their political leanings
Wike also called on the president to work toward the unity of the country. (NAN)
Ologbondiyan said that the PDP completely rejected the verdict.
He said that the silence across the nation since the judgment was delivered was an indication that the verdict had not fulfilled the desires and expectations of Nigerians.
He, however, encouraged Nigerians to remain calm and not lose hope or surrender to despondency or self-help.
Ologbondiyan had said that the lawyers of the party were confident of obtaining justice at the Supreme Court.
“This is more so as the tribunal itself admitted that there are several errors in the judgment,” he said.
The PDP National Chairman, Mr Uche Secondus, said: “We have heard the judgment, our legal team will study it and we take it from there.”
On his part, the Vice-Presidential Candidate of PDP in the election, Mr Peter Obi, said the judgement was not about Buhari or Atiku but about the practice of democracy in Nigeria and the rule of law.
“It is about the future of our country. It’s about the suffering masses whose future is being toyed with,” he said.
