The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has hailed the Federal High Court Abuja “for saving our democratic process by throwing out the suit by anti-democratic forces working for the All Progressives Congress (APC), in their desperate plot to scuttle the collation of results of the March 9, 2019 Rivers State Governorship election.”

The party in a statement on Tuesday signed by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, described the ruling as well as the on-going collation as “the triumph of the will of the people of Rivers State, who freely gave their mandate to the PDP and its candidate, Governor Nyesom Wike.”

The statement added: “The party notes that the sweeping victory being recorded by Governor Wike, even in areas hitherto considered as opposition fortresses, clearly exposes the reason behind APC’s desperation to scuttle the collation process.

“Moreover, the court ruling rekindles the hope by Nigerians on the capacity of the judiciary to uphold the will of the people, particularly, in the overall quest by Nigerians to reclaim the Presidential mandate, which they freely gave to the PDP Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, at the February 23, 2019, Presidential polls.

“The PDP notes that it has a water-tight case against the APC and President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, for which majority of Nigerians, across the board, are in high spirit that the stolen mandate would be recovered at the Tribunal.”

PDP charged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) “to ensure that nothing encumbers the conclusion of the collation process and announcement of Governor Wike as the rightful winner of the Rivers governorship election.”

The party also directed its members and supporters in Rivers State “to continue to be at alert to forestall any attempt by anti-democratic forces, working for the APC, to disrupt the exercise.”