In a hearing held in Abuja on Wednesday, the Rivers State Election plea Tribunal reserved judgment on a plea submitted by Mr. Tonye Cole, the candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the governorship election held on March 18.
Cole is contesting the election of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
After adopting their final written addresses and presenting their arguments for and against the petition, the three-member panel led by Justice Cletus Emifonye adjourned the matter for judgment.
The final tally showed that Fubara had 302,614 votes, the APC candidate had 95,274, and Beatrice Itubo of the Labour Party (LP) had 22,224 votes, making her the third-place finisher.
The chief counsel for Cole, Chief Tuduru Ede, SAN, told reporters following the hearing on Wednesday that over a thousand exhibits and forty witnesses had been submitted.
Our primary argument is that Appellant #2 (Fubara) was ineligible to serve as President at the time of the election.
As the Rivers State Accountant-General and Permanent Secretary, he did not resign from his position.
We have evidence to support that, and we’re awaiting the tribunal’s decision, he said.
Mr. Cole, who was also present at the hearing, added that he had faith in the tribunal and in God that his plea would be heard fairly.
“Let me begin by saying how appreciative I am of the legal team that stood their own, refused to be bullied, and presented very solid evidence.
I think today’s presentation is a great way to cap off our time together.
“And I am trusting the tribunal and trusting my Lord, God Almighty, that justice will be done,” he added.
He claimed he had come to the tribunal to reclaim the stolen mandate.
What we’re doing in court is completely different from what transpired on election day.
I want to assure everyone in Rivers that we will do everything in our ability to ensure that justice is done, and that is why we are here in court to make sure that we secure the mandate that was stolen off us in March.
We’ve made our case, and now we’re simply waiting to hear back. The verdict will be announced soon. Let’s not rush things and instead hold firm. We’re going to keep battling until we win,” he promised.
Mr. Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), also attended the hearing but would not grant interviews to the press.
He merely directed me to “go and speak to them” (the lawyers).
Mr. Joseph Daudu (PDP) could not be reached for comment, while Mr. Kanu Agabi, SAN (INEC), and Mr. Emmanuel Ukala, SAN (Fubara) also declined comment.
According to NAN, Tonye Cole is the petitioner in the case, while INEC, Fubara, and the PDP are the first, second, and third respondents, respectively.
On September 7th, the tribunal deferred verdict in a petition challenging Fubara’s victory that had been brought by the Labour Party’s candidate for governor.
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