Tribunal Affirms Fubara As Rivers Governor, Dismisses APC, LP Petitions

The Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja has dismissed petitions seeking to nullify the election of Governor Similayi Fubara of Rivers State.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had on March 18, 2023 declared Governor Fubara of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as winner of the gubernatorial election, having polled 302,614 votes ahead of other contestants.

Displeased with the results of the election, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party (LP), Allies Peoples Movement (APM) and Accord Party (AP), approached the election petitions tribunal seeking to nullify the election.

But in a judgement yesterday, the tribunal affirmed the election of Fubara as the validly elected governor of the state.

The Justice Cletus Emifonye-led three-member separately dismissed all the four petitions for lacking in merit, on grounds of jurisdiction and  incompetence.

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Ruling on LP’s petition, the tribunal dismissed the petition for lacking in merit and for the petitioners’ failure to prove their allegations.

Similarly, the tribunal dismissed the petition of Lulu-Briggs of the AP which argued that Fubara was not validly elected with a majority of lawful votes cast in the election, and that the election was marred by irregularities.

The tribunal held that Lulu-Briggs’ didn’t prove beyond reasonable doubt that the election was not conducted in substantial compliance with provisions of both the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and the Electoral Act 2022.

Lulu-Briggs had urged the court to order INEC to withdraw the Certificate of Return that was issued to Fubara and order a fresh governorship election in Rivers State.

Similarly, the tribunal dismissed the petition filed by Innocent Ekwu of the APM for lacking in merit.

While it also awarded a cost of 500,000 naira against the petitioner and in favour of the respondents, the tribunal said Ekwu lacked the locus standi to file the petition because he didn’t contest the Rivers State governorship election.

The tribunal said Whyte Churchill was the party’s candidate in the March 18 election.