BREAKING: Tribunal strikes out APC suit challenging PDP victory

PDP and APC logo

The Rivers state governorship election petition tribunal has struck out the All Progressives Congress (APC) petition after it withdrew the suit through its counsel.

According to Channels Television, the withdrawal means that Tonye Cole, the APC governorship candidate remained the only petitioner against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), its candidate and winner of the election, Fubara Siminalayi and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Why APC withdraws its suit against PDP in Rivers state

Cole was in court to challenge the outcome of the March 18 governorship election that produced Siminalayi as the governor-elect.

The drama started at the tribunal when the APC filed an application for a change of counsel in their petition against Siminalayi and the PDP.

At the beginning of the hearing, the APC counsel, Solomon Umoh, informed the tribunal that he would be taking over as counsel for the APC after a motion for a change of counsel before the court.

Latest about APC, PDP, Fubara Siminalayi, Tonye Cole, Rivers State

Umoh also informed the court that his clients would want their names to be struck out as applicants from the petition. The former counsel for the APC and Cole, Jibrin Okutepa, said that he was not briefed about the new development by the party.

Justice Cletus Emifoniye, in a 3-man panel of judgment, granted the application for change of counsel and granted the prayer of the lawyer by striking out the name of the APC as a petition.

The withdrawal of the APC was brought in pursuant to order 9 rule 15 of the federal high civil procedure rules 2019.

Legit.ng earlier reported that Anyim Ude, a successful broadcaster and former senator of the PDP, has died at the age of 82 The demise of the former commissioner for commerce in Ebonyi was announced by his son in a statement on Thursday, who said Ude died on Monday.

Young Ude, in the statement, said the arrangement for the celebration of life would be announced by the family soon.