The Rivers State Elders Council, on Thursday, hailed the judgment of the Supreme Court affirming the victory of Governor Sminialayi Fubara in the March 18, 2023 governorship election.

The apex court dismissed the case of Tonye Cole of the All Progressives Congress challenging Fubara’s election.

The leader of the Rivers elders, Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, said the Supreme Court’s verdict had freed Fubara from the overbearing posture of his predecessor and estranged political godfather, Nyesom Wike.

The Rivers elders have sided with Fubara amid the political crisis between him and Wike. The group is opposed to the eight-point resolution, which Fubara signed at a reconciliatory meeting convened by President Bola Tinubu in Abuja in December

The group’s leader said, “The Rivers elders are very grateful to God for touching the mind of the Supreme Court to do what is right. They have saved Rivers State and they have saved Nigeria.

“We are also grateful because the right thing is done. We have nothing against Tonye Cole. He is our son. But as it stands today we don’t want Nyesom Wike to get third term. That is what Rivers people are fighting against.

“He has spent his constitutionally recommended two terms. He should not come through the backdoor to ask for a third term. And that matter has settled. But we know that the battle starts now. Why do I say so? Wike’s dogs must be removed. If we don’t remove those dogs, they will continue to harass and intimidate the governor

Talking about the suit filed by the group to challenge the pro-Wike lawmakers in the state House of Assembly, Sara-Igbe said, “They Assembly members are not legitimate Assembly members. They have decamped from the party that brought them to office contrary to Section 109, 1G and 2. And the court must define what the law says.

“We ask Mr President to intervene in the matter. But he never intervened in a manner as to bring peace. Rather he escalated the matter. And we are saying Mr President has no power to give directives, but he can make peace as the Chief Security Officer. So we want to define the powers of Mr President.

“We want the court to also define whether or not Mr President has the power to wave the constitution aside or wave judicial pronouncement aside. These are interpretations we need. So we are saying that the Assembly members must go first. Let the court interpret the law. We went to a court here (Port Harcourt), the judge, a hatchet man of Wike, the matter was not before him first. The matter was assigned to another judge. But surprisingly between Thursday and Friday night the matter was moved to him. And he messed himself up by telling Nigerians and the National Judicial Council that he is not competent to be a judge. He struck out the case when the parties are not before him.

“Rivers State is owned by the citizens of Rivers State, and as elders we have come out to defend the people of Rivers State. So we are grateful to God for answering our first question, and they will answer our second question

Talking about the suit filed by the group to challenge the pro-Wike lawmakers in the state House of Assembly, Sara-Igbe said, “They Assembly members are not legitimate Assembly members. They have decamped from the party that brought them to office contrary to Section 109, 1G and 2. And the court must define what the law says.

“We ask Mr President to intervene in the matter. But he never intervened in a manner as to bring peace. Rather he escalated the matter. And we are saying Mr President has no power to give directives, but he can make peace as the Chief Security Officer. So we want to define the powers of Mr President.

“We want the court to also define whether or not Mr President has the power to wave the constitution aside or wave judicial pronouncement aside. These are interpretations we need. So we are saying that the Assembly members must go first. Let the court interpret the law. We went to a court here (Port Harcourt), the judge, a hatchet man of Wike, the matter was not before him first. The matter was assigned to another judge. But surprisingly between Thursday and Friday night the matter was moved to him. And he messed himself up by telling Nigerians and the National Judicial Council that he is not competent to be a judge. He struck out the case when the parties are not before him.

“Rivers State is owned by the citizens of Rivers State, and as elders we have come out to defend the people of Rivers State. So we are grateful to God for answering our first question, and they will answer our second question

Meanwhile, Fubara, while reacting to the judgment, declared his resolve to remain committed to the purpose for which he was elected, saying he would not allow anything to distract the governance of the state.

He stated, “About an hour ago, the Supreme Court revalidated our mandate in the election. It is a victory for the entire state. It is important for us to note that we need this victory to consolidate the purpose of governance. Prior, we have had a few distractions here and there.

“And the good news that came to us this morning is a refreshing strength that will encourage us to continue the good works in governance

Fubara also extended gratitude to Wike, whom he described as his “Oga”, for all his support.

“We have a dream of making it a highly competitive state that will measure, if not up to Lagos but close to becoming like Lagos. We can only achieve this in an atmosphere of peace.

“So I am calling on everyone, not just on our internal issue but those members from other parties, the issue is settled, come and let’s build the Rivers State of our dream. We will continue to protect and provide the basic needs of governance to everyone who is doing business and who lives in Rivers State,” he added.

The dissolved Rivers APC exco loyal to a former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, describes the verdict as end of a race and the beginning of a journey.

The spokesman for  the dissolved APC executive, Darlington Nwauju, in a statement said it saluted the courage of its governorship candidate, Cole.

“The Supreme Court of Nigeria today brought the 10-month-old struggle over the rightful occupant of the governorship seat of Rivers State to an end. We salute the courage of our candidate, Pastor Tonye Cole, for exercising his rights under the Electoral Act and the Constitution.

“We all know it is the final court of the land and there must necessarily be an end to litigation. We are extremely grateful and indebted to our solid followership for their textbook resilience and extraordinary courage in the face of temptations and trials

He however called on Fubara to immediately begin a genuine process of healing and reconciliation in the state.