Supreme Court Affirms Fubara As Rivers State Governor

The Supreme Court has affirmed the election of Siminalayi Fubara as Governor of Rivers State.

In the Rivers matter, Partick Tonye Cole, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress challenged the election of Governor Fubara on grounds that he wasn’t qualified to run for governor as he was still in the employ of the Rivers State government as Accountant General as at the time of the election.

Fubara of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was declared winner of the governorship election after he scored 302,614 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Cole, who polled 95,274 votes.

Both the Tribunal and Appeal Court had in concurrent judgments dismissed Mr Cole’s case for lacking merit, for failing to provide credible evidence to prove his case of non-qualification, corrupt practices and non-compliance, thus affirming Fubara’s electoral victory.

The Supreme Court, also in its judgment Thursday also upheld the decision of the Appellate Court on grounds that the APC governorship candidate failed to prove his allegations of over-voting and non-compliance levelled against the Rivers State governor.

The five-member Apex Court panel headed by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, in effect, dismissed the appeal of Patrick Tonye-Cole for lacking in merit.

Godfrey Eshiemoghie