Rivers State Election Petition Tribunal Strikes Out APC’s Petition Following Counsel’s Withdrawal
The Rivers State Election Petition Tribunal recently made a significant decision by striking out the petition filed by the All Progressive Congress (APC). The party’s counsel, Solomon Umoh, informed the tribunal about his intention to take over as counsel for the APC after filing a motion for a change of counsel. Additionally, Umoh conveyed the party’s request to have their names removed from the petition as applicants.
However, Jibrin Okutepa, the former counsel for Tonye Cole and the APC, expressed his lack of knowledge regarding the new development, stating that he was not briefed by the party.
Led by Justice Cletus Emifoniye, the three-man panel presiding over the case granted the application for a change of counsel and subsequently approved the motion to strike out the APC’s name as a petitioner.
The APC’s withdrawal was made in accordance with order 9 rule 15 of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules 2019. One of the grounds cited in the application was that the party had no intention to participate in the petition, warranting the need to seek the tribunal’s permission to strike out the name of the second petitioner/applicant.
As of now, no specific date has been set for the commencement of the pre-hearing of applications before the tribunal.
With the withdrawal of the petition, the course of the governorship election dispute takes a different trajectory, leaving room for speculation about the potential implications on the state’s political dynamics.
As the news unfolds, more details are expected to emerge regarding the party’s motives and the future implications of this significant development in the Rivers State governorship election dispute.
