Rivers Governorship: Tonye Cole will fight to finish

The Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Tonye Cole, will fight to finish, a highly placed party source has informed Africa Update.

News about the withdrawal of the suit filed by APC at the election Tribunal had broke yesterday, which has led to mixed reactions from party men and women.

The party source noted that following the provisions of the Electoral Act, Cole has the option of pursuing the matter despite the withdrawal of the suit by the party.

What the outcome of that process would be is something that only legal luminaries can interpret. Africa Update however have it on good authority that the last might not have been heard about Cole’s quest to occupy the Rivers State Government House.

Recall that Africa Update had reported that at the tribunal on Monday, the Rivers State election petition tribunal had struck out the petition filed by APC following the withdrawal by its counsel.

Solomon Umoh, Counsel to the APC had told the tribunal that he would be taking over as counsel for the party following a motion for change of counsel before the tribunal.

He also informed the court that his clients would like their names to be struck out from the petition as applicants.

Jibrin Okutepa who was the former counsel for Tonye Cole and the APC, told the tribunal that he was not briefed on the new development by the party.

The three-man panel, led by Justice Cletus Emifoniye, however granted the application for change of counsel and also granted the motion as prayed by striking out the name of APC as a petitioner.

APC’s withdrawal was brought pursuant to order 9 rule 15 of the Federal High Court Civil procedure rules 2019.

One of the grounds for the application amongst others is that “There is the need to seek the leave of this Honourable Tribunal to strike out the name of the 2nd Petitioner/Applicant, as the Applicant has no intention to participate in this petition.”