The Labor Party in Rivers State expressed no surprise at the recent ruling of the Rivers State Governorship Election Tribunal in Abuja, which upheld Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s election. According to Gogo Wellington, the Publicity Secretary of the Labor Party in Rivers, in an interview with Daily Post, the party intends to take their case to the Court of Appeal to contest Governor Fubara’s victory, as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Wellington stated that the Labor Party believes it still has a valid case to present in the Court of Appeal, backed by substantial evidence indicating that the election was marked by violence and irregularities.
He said, “We aren’t taken aback by the Election Petition Tribunal’s decision, but we are disheartened that despite presenting all the facts and evidence supporting our case, the tribunal ruled that we failed to establish our claims. We remain highly confident that we can substantiate our argument that the election in Rivers State was tainted by various forms of violence and misconduct, which are unacceptable in modern electoral processes. Therefore, we firmly believe in the strength of our case.”
“To that end, we are taking our case to the Court of Appeal to further contest the election results in Rivers State, as we believe it lacked the qualities required for selecting a governor in a state like Rivers. We are also challenging the eligibility of Siminalayi Fubara to run in the gubernatorial election in Rivers State,” he added.
On Monday, the Rivers State Governorship Election Tribunal in Abuja upheld Governor Fubara’s election and dismissed the legal challenges brought by other political parties contesting his victory.