Rivers: Uchendu Laughs Last
The quaint legal lingo that says, “the wheel of justice grinds slowly but surely”, couldn’t be truer considering the long walk to victory recorded by now Senator Andrew Igbonule Uchendu, who was recently declared the rightful winner of the Rivers East senatorial election held last December, 2016. The three-man Appeal court had dismissed the appeal filed by now ousted Senator George Sekibo who had challenged the ruling of the Election tribunal which had, on June 29, declared Uchendu , the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the election.
For those who have followed closely the politics of Rivers State, the eventual declaration of Uchendu as the winner of the election would not be a surprise. The PDP, it appeared had merely wangled its way to victory without the electoral endorsement of the voters.
Uchendu had been in the House of Representatives Between 2007 and 2011 and had demonstrated exemplary legislative capacity, the reason his people had desired from him, higher service, in the Senate.
But, as the pattern had been in recent times, the election was far from being free and fair. The fact that the election had to be shelved from March 2015 to December 2016 was for the same reason of trying to avoid violence which had characterised the electoral contests in Rivers State ever since the sitting governor, Nyesom Wike, often crude in his ways and appearance, got into the political arena as a contestant. Earlier this week, he had predicted that the 2019 election will be violent as he would be ready to die to prevent the APC from winning the state. Quite ungubernatorial utterance!
Right from the time he directly got involved in contests, elections have virtually been a matter of life and death, with the state turning literally to rivers of blood. I can’t forget those horrible images of beheaded politicians in Omokwu and its environs during the 2015 polls
It had become a contest of brute force, where bullets and not ballots were largely the determinants of winners of electoral contests in Rivers.
It is remarkable that after the March contest, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was said to have won two senatorial districts while the APC won only one.
The result was challenged by Uchendu, while the PDP candidate (George Sekibo) got sworn in as the valid senator.
Expectedly, Senator Sekibo had done everything to embarrass the All Progressives Congress and the minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi.
It is recalled that Sekibo, it was who brought a whistle into the hallowed Senate chamber in the wake of the Osbornegate scandal. Sekibo had suddenly blown the whistle during a debate, with a shrieking loudness, in the chamber claiming that he was blowing the whistle against Amaechi whom he and his master (Wike) had said, owned the $43.4million, N23.3million, and 27,800 British Pounds, found in the Osoborne Towers, adding that the said money actually belong to Rivers State government. Gov Wike had himself given a seven-day ultimatum to the federal government within which it should release the money to Rivers State or face legal action from the state. Till date, Wike has launched no action, five months after, even as the money remains in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
It must be stated that the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) led by its suspended DG, Mr Ayo Oke had since owned up to being the one who kept the money in the said flat on behalf of the NIA. Sekibo, ever since that whistleblowing fiasco, had remained a sub-factor in the Senate before he was sacked some ten days ago.
That his botched victory was procured by financial fiat is no longer in doubt. It was in that same election that Gov Wike was allegedly caught on tape threatening to kill some INEC officials if they failed to cooperate with how he wants the election conducted. That matter had remained inconclusive because of the immunity clause shielding Gov Wike.
It is also on that election that the Police are currently prosecuting some INEC staff who allegedly collected monetary gratification from Wike to compromise the outcome of the said election. Many of the accused INEC officials have long returned their share of the bribe. The police tendered the sum of N111million (which they recovered from the INEC personnel) as part of the N360million allegedly used to bribe the INEC staff by Gov Wike.
Well, the said bribe helped to get Sekibo and co in as winners. But the victory badge has become brief and now yanked off with ignominy. Yes, over two years or so of the legislative tenure has been stolen by Sekibo, yet the fact that Uchendu is now in the Senate with all the accolades of propriety and justice, gives him the last laugh on this matter.
It is consoling that justice has finally smiled on Uchendu, an act that reinforces confidence in the judiciary.
And so with his rich legislative experience, Uchendu, former Managing Director of Risopalm and holder of National productivity award, will walk into the Senate with his shoulder high, to resume legislative duties. I cannot forget the three major Bills he moved and followed through while in the House of Representatives. Uchendu, it was who sponsored three fundamental Bills in the House. They are the Standard Tendering Procedure for the Award of Contracts in the Public Service (otherwise called Due Process), the National Youth Development Programme, and the Amendment to the Petroleum Technology Development Fund Act.
No doubt, his rich administrative and parliamentary experience will come to play for the people of Rivers South East senatorial district. I congratulate the Distinguished Senator Andrew Uchendu.