Rivers State Governor, Siminalaye Fubara, scored big on Thursday as a five-man panel of the Supreme Court affirmed his election as the state Chief Executive in a unanimous decision.
The panel, led by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, quashed the appeal filed by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr. Tonye Cole, challenging the outcome of the governorship election held in the state on March 18, 2023. The appeal lacked merit, the court ruled.
Political observers see Fubara’s victory at the apex court as significant in view of the ongoing struggle between the governor and his political godfather, Nyesom Wike.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Ibrahim Saulawa said that the court found no reason to dislodge the concurrent verdicts of the Court of Appeal and the Rivers State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, which upheld Fubara’s victory at the poll.
The court further held that Mr. Cole did not establish that the election contravened the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022.
Recall that the APC had pulled out from the case against governor Fubara of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, while it was being heard by the Rivers State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.
And despite the position of the party not to challenge the declaration of Fubara as winner of the gubernatorial contest by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Mr. Cole, vowed to pursue his petition to its logical conclusion.
INEC had declared that Fubara of the PDP polled a total of 302,614 votes to defeat his closet rival, Cole of the APC who got a total of 95,274 votes.
Not satisfied with the outcome of the election, Cole approached the tribunal to challenge it.
Among other things, the appellant alleged that the Rivers State governorship poll was marred by corrupt practices, insisting that it was not conducted in substantial compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.
Cole alleged that Fubara did not validly resign his previous position as required by the law, before the election held.
