The Rivers State Governor and governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the governorship polls, Siminalayi Fubara, has secured victory as the Supreme Court upholds his election, News About Nigeria reports.
The Supreme Court,which delivered its judgement on Thursday, dismissed the appeal by the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the Rivers State governorship election, Tonye Cole.
Cole had approached the Supreme Court, asking the court to sack Siminalayi Fubara as governor of the state.
According to him, the election was marred by irregularities, non-compliance with the electoral act, and corrupt practices, among others.
Tonye Cole added that Fubara did not validly resign from his previous position as required by law before the election.
Cole further solicited that the judgements of the Court of Appeal and the Tribunal, which upheld the declaration of Fubara of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the Rivers Governorship Election, be reversed and he be declared governor.
Both the election tribunal and the Court of Appeal had earlier dismissed his case for lack of merit.
The five-man panel, led by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, held in a unanimous decision that the appellant failed to prove his allegations that there was non-compliance with the Electoral Act during the election.
Reading the lead judgement, Justice Ibrahim Saulawa dismissed Cole’s appeal.
The five-member panel of justices, who also released judges on the governorship election petition in Sokoto State today, arrived at the court on time, and the first appeal that was called was that of Rivers State.
