Okenyi Kenechi
The Supreme Court Judgement of Monday, the 22nd day of October did not come to me as a surprise. I would have been more surprised if the Apex Court did not tow the path of honour in carpeting the recklessness of some party heavyweights in the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressive Congress.
The actors in the lengthy court battle have put up a good fight. It is time for reconciliation and making of amends. However, if the press release by the factional publicity secretary of the Rivers APC, Chris Finebone, is anything to go by, lessons have not been learnt and the party will sooner than later be engulfed by another crisis.
Finebone, in his press release, referred to the landmark ruling as a “mere academic exercise”. I will want to believe that Mr Finebone hadn’t seen the details of the court ruling before he released the statement.
Wisdom is profitable to the direct. It is pertinent at this juncture to eschew every form of ego and sit at a round table and discuss the way out. According to insiders, there is still time for the party to do the right thing.
Party faithful should be allowed to make their choice as regards who will fly the party’s ticket come 2019. It is undemocratic in a democratic setting for one man to decide for thousands of party members those who will represent them at the ballot.
The beauty of democracy lies in the ability of electorates to make a collective choice. Unless perhaps, the party chieftains have resolved to make Governor Nyesom Wike the sole gubernatorial contestant come 2019, then they should continue.
Those of us who are observers and voters want to see a vibrant campaign period come 2019. We want to be able to make our choices based on the individual’s capacity and antecedents. We want a better Rivers State.
So, the onus lies on the party to work things out or be damned. The party has been disqualified from contesting any position in Zamfara. Delta State is also on the line too and Ogun towing the path. The minister and the senator should let bygone be bygone and agree on the way out. However, it is their choice to make or mar this opportunity.
