The Supreme Court has reserved its judgment on the appeal to remove Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara from office.
Mr. Tonye Cole, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the March 18, 2023 governorship election, brought the case before the court. Despite the APC initially withdrawing from the case against Governor Fubara, Mr. Cole remained steadfast in pursuing the petition.
The five-member panel, led by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, adjourned the hearing for judgment after the final arguments from all parties.
Mr. Cole contested the election outcome, alleging corruption and non-compliance with the Electoral Act in the gubernatorial poll. He claimed that Fubara failed to properly resign from his previous position, continuing to sign documents as the Accountant-General of Rivers State during the election campaign.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Fubara of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner with 302,614 votes, surpassing Cole’s 95,274 votes. Unsatisfied, Cole approached the tribunal, seeking to nullify Fubara’s Certificate of Return and declare himself the rightful winner.
Despite dismissals by both the tribunal and the Court of Appeal for lack of merit, the Supreme Court now holds the fate of this election challenge. The judgment date remains pending as the court communicates with the concerned parties.