BREAKING: Supreme Court affirms Fubara as duly elected governor of Rivers State

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

Patrick Tonye-Cole, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Rivers State for the 2023 elections, had disputed Fubara’s victory in the poll.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) certified Fubara the winner of the election.

A five-member panel of the Supreme Court has now validated Fubara’s election win.

The tribunal, led by Justice Ibrahim Saulawa, validated Fubara’s election shortly after dismissing Tonye-Cole’s appeal as incompetent and without merit.

According to Saulawa, the appellant failed to show his charges of overvoting, noncompliance, and Fubara’s ineligibility to contest the election.

“This appeal is grossly lacking in merit and liable to be dismissed and it is accordingly dismissed”, Justice Saulawa held.

The apex court subsequently affirmed the concurrent judgments of the two lower courts which earlier dismissed the appeal for lacking in merit.