The Court of Appeal in Lagos State has, on Tuesday, dismissed the petition filed by the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Patrick Tonye-Cole. The petition challenged the victory of Governor Siminalayi Fubara of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the March governorship election.
The appellate court also rejected the petition filed by the Accord Party in relation to the same election.
Present in the courtroom, Tonye-Cole sought the court’s intervention to direct the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare him the winner. However, the court upheld the decision of the Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which dismissed Cole’s petition in October.
The Tribunal had based its dismissal on the withdrawal of the petition by the APC, the party sponsoring Tonye-Cole. Despite the setback at the Tribunal, the APC candidate pursued the matter to the Court of Appeal, hoping for a different outcome.
The Appeals Court’s affirmation of the Tribunal ruling solidifies Governor Fubara’s electoral victory, ending the legal challenge initiated by the APC candidate. The dismissal underscores the conclusion reached by the Tribunal in October, emphasizing the withdrawal of the petition as a significant factor in the case.