Supreme Court Affirms Fubara, Kefas As Rivers, Taraba Govs
BY VICTOR BUORO – The Supreme Court, on Thursday, dismissed an appeal by the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the Rivers State governorship election, Tonye Cole.
Similarly, the apex court dismissed the appeal filed by Muhammad Sani Yahaya of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) against the election of Taraba Governor Agbu Kefas.
In asking the apex court to sack Siminalayi Fubara as Governor of Rivers State, Cole had alleged that the election was marred by irregularities and that Fubara did not validly resign his previous position as required by the law, before the election.
However, affirming the rulings delivered by both the tribunal and the Court of Appeal in dismissing the case for lack of merit, the five-member panel of the Court led by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, on Thursday, declared that the appeal by Cole challenging the outcome of the governorship election held in the state on March 18, 2023, was unmeritorious.
The lead judgment delivered by Justice Ibrahim Saulawa further stated that Cole and the APC failed to sufficiently prove their allegations of non-compliance with the Electoral Act during the election and consequently resolved all four issues identified for determination in the appeal against the appellants.
Earlier, the apex Court had dismissed a separate appeal against Fubara by the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) flag bearer in the election, Innocent Kere.
The appeal was dismissed after the appellants applied to withdraw the case through their counsel.
For Taraba State, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal filed by Muhammad Yahaya and his party, NNPP against the election of Governor Agbu Kefas of Taraba State, maintaining that they failed to establish their case that Kefas was not elected by the majority of valid votes.
Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba, who read the lead judgment, held that the Court of Appeal was right to have easily dismissed the appeal on grounds of incomplete records of appeal and affirmed the judgment of the Court of Appeal affirming Kefas’ election.
In a unanimous decision by its five-member panel, the apex Court held that the NNPP and its candidate filed an incomplete record of appeal.
The Appellants had approached the Supreme Court, praying it to set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja which affirmed Kefas’ election victory on November 28, 2023.
According to the Court of Appeal ruling, it found no reason to vacate the verdict of the Taraba State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which had on September 30, 2023, declared Kefas of the PDP as the bonafide winner of the gubernatorial poll.
