The Rivers State Governor, Nyesome Wike told THISDAY in an exclusive interview, Thursday night, that the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate, Dakuku Peterside could not produce a shred of evidence of violence and over-voting during the 2015 governorship election in Rivers State at the courts “despite all the propaganda to smear” his victory.

Wike spurned the claims of fraudulent conduct during the election by the APC and its candidate, describing as unfounded and mere propaganda to discredit the popular choice of the people.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with THISDAY in Abuja, Wike said if the elections were to be conducted 30 times, he would defeat the APC and its candidate in the state.

"In their petition, they said they would show in the course of trial, video coverage where people were thumb-printing, where people were killed and that they would use forensic examination to show that there was multiple thumb-printing but not one was shown even by the forensic expert.

"The Tribunal granted them leave to go and inspect. Ask them what was the result of the inspection? Did they tender any document to show that this was the result of our inspection?

"If you say that there was violence, if you say people died in the course of the election, if you say that some people were kidnapped, does it not dawn on you to show evidence of those who died in that election. That you need to let the tribunal know that these are the people that were kidnapped.

“As I speak to you, let them mention one death certificate that was tendered at the Tribunal to show that during this election that Mr. Z died or Mr. Y was kidnapped," he said.

While reacting angrily to the allegations by Peterside that one of the Supreme Court Justices, Mary Odili influenced her colleagues to deliver favourable judgment for the PDP, Wike said it was mischievous and lacks logic. 

Wike who described the allegation of compromise against the Supreme Court Judges as the height of insanity, said Peterside would need to urgently visit a psychiatric hospital for mental examination.

The Rivers state governor said that it was unimaginable that Dakuku who benefitted from mentorship of former Governor Peter Odili as a toddler will now turn round to mess up with his wife.

Wike said that it amounted to double standard for a man who with his party, the APC rejoiced and extolled qualities of the Supreme Court judges when the apex court gave them judgement dismissing PDP's application to stop movement of the governorship petition Tribunal from Port Harcourt to Abuja.

"Justice Mary Odili was a member of the Supreme Court panel that sat on that matter and the matter was dismissed against me. Dakuku Peterside and APC never saw anything fundamentally wrong, Supreme Court gave them judgement dismissing my matter but did anybody hear them say that she was this and that; no because the judgement was in their favour.

"Justice Odili didn’t procure the judgement with the husband or she didn’t compromise the judgement of the Supreme Court with the husband. We are happy the Supreme Court has spoken, and judiciary is for the common man," he said.

To buttress his point on the fallacy contained in the allegation, Wike said that whereas Justice Odili was on the panel of judges that gave judgement against him on the tribunal venue adjudication, she was not among the judges that ruled on the substantive matter when it came to Supreme Court.

"Whereas Justice Odili wasn’t even a member of the panel, the same Dakuku Peterside had the guts to say that Dr. Odili and Justice Odili helped me in procuring the judgement; that tells you the kind of country we are in.

"I had a thanksgiving which was on live TV and I named people who had given me support from time. I named some clergy, so many leaders and he said that I said Dr. Peter Odili and his wife were my advisers. Can you see how these people would behave by trying to hide the truth?

"Dakuku Peterside knows that if election is to be done in Rivers state 30 times there is no way they will win," he said.

THISDAY