The Appeal Court sitting in Lagos has affirmed the election victory of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, dismissing four separate appeals filed by opposition candidates.
The appellants, including Tonye Cole of the All Progressives Congress, Beatrice Itubo of the Labour Party, Innocent Ekwu of the Allied People’s Movement, and Lulu Briggs Dumo of the Accord Party, sought to challenge the outcome of the March governorship election in Rivers.
The APC candidate, Tonye Cole, who was present in the courtroom on Tuesday, had urged the court to direct the Independent National Electoral Commission to declare him the winner of the election.
However, the court affirmed the judgment of the election tribunal, which had earlier dismissed Cole’s petition against Fubara’s victory.
Justice Olabode Adegbehingbe, one of the judges, clarified that the withdrawal of the petition by the APC did not invalidate Cole’s appeal.
He stated, “A political party cannot compel a candidate to withdraw a petition, neither can a candidate compel the party to withdraw.”
The court held that the appellants failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove allegations of over-voting, disenfranchisement, and other irregularities.
Allegations of fraud and Fubara’s qualification to contest the election were also struck out based on unconvincing evidence.
In response to the judgment, Tonye Cole stated, “The appellate court’s judgment has given me and my legal team a green light, and that will determine our next line of action.”
