2023 Election: “See You in Court”: Powerful APC Guber Candidate Challenges Annulment of Primaries

• The Federal Appeal Court is set to preside over the annulment of the APC primary election in Rivers state
• Tonye Cole, the gubernatorial candidate of the APC in Rivers state filed the application before the appellate court
• This is coming after the federal high court ruled that the primary election that produces Cole should be cancelled

Rivers, Port Harcourt - As we approach the penultimate month of the forthcoming 2023 general elections, the Rivers state chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC) might be heading into a re-run primary election following a federal high court verdict to annul the initial election.

The previous election saw the emergence of Tonye Cole as the gubernatorial candidate of the party in the state.

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However, the verdict of the federal high court sitting in Port Harcourt now nullifies Cole as the legitimate candidate and as of now, the APC does not have a gubernatorial election ahead of next year’s election.

Meanwhile, Cole has resorted to taking up the decision of the federal high court to the appellate court for adjudication.

"Keep calm, we'll prevail", Tonye Cole tells supporters

This Day newspaper reported, Tonye has urged his supporters to lift up their spirits and not to alarm by the judgment of the lower court.

As contained in a statement issued by Tonye’s camp, an appeal has already been filed before the appellate court.

The statement reads:

“Tonye Patrick Cole, the Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, has appealed ruling nullifying the APC primaries conducted in Rivers State by the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

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“On October 25, 2022, the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt in its decision, ruled in favour of the claimant, George Orlu, and four other persons who claimed to have been unlawfully excluded from participating in the APC governorship primary election. This led to the nullification of the APC primaries, disqualifying Tonye Cole and Innocent Barikor as candidates in the 2023 gubernatorial elections of Rivers State.”

Cole on the other hand said he is willing to undergo all the necessary legal steps toward attaining victory at the appellate court.

He said:

“Self-serving and cowardly on the basis that none of them were registered members of the party when they filed the case in court.”

2023: “We’ll not be discouraged”, APC reacts to court ruling sacking Tonye Cole

Meanwhile, the Rivers state chaper of APC has reacted to the recent court judgment sacking all its candidates.

The leadership of the APC in the state described the judgement as another ploy to stop the party from participating in the 2023 general election in Rivers.

While the leadership of the party noted that the judgement was dead on arrival, some members had during the primaries alleged exclusion and made their grievances known through protest.

Source: Legit.ng