Appeal court dismisses Tonye Cole?s petition challenging Rivers state governor, Sim Fubara’s election

The Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos state today November 28 dismissed the petition filed by the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Patrick Tonye-Cole, against Governor Siminalayi Fubara of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Tonye-Cole had approached the court to issue an order to INEC to declare him the winner of the March 18 governorship election in Rivers. The Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal had in October dismissed the petition of Tonye-Cole challenging the election of Fubara as the governor of the state. The tribunal held that the APC that sponsored Cole in the election had withdrawn its petition against Fubara’s victory.

Not satisfied with the ruling by the tribunal, the APC candidate approached the appellate court.  The appeal court this morning upheld the verdict of the tribunal and affirmed Fubara as the duly elected governor of the state.