Tonye Cole, the All Progressives Congress' (APC's) candidate for governor of Rivers State, has denied reports that he withdrew the petition he had submitted to contest Sim Fubara's nomination as the PDP's nominee in the March 18 governorship election. The APC's plea was reportedly denied by the Rivers State election petition tribunal after its attorney withdrew from the matter. Previous reports said that the withdrawal was brought on by a supposedly made deal between the "president-elect" Bola Tinubu and the departing governor Nyesom Wike, according to party sources.
But Tonye Cole used his verified Twitter account to make a statement, pledging to pursue the petition and contest the results of the 2023 governorship election. He categorically refuted the rumors around him.the withdrawal, assuring the public that their petition remained resolute and unwavering. He emphasized that justice was their ultimate goal, and they would persist in seeking it.
The March 18 governorship election in Rivers State witnessed several candidates dissatisfied with the results, leading to multiple petitions filed at the tribunal. Alongside Tonye Cole, at least nine other candidates, including Beatrice Itubo (Labour Party), Tekena Iyagba (Boot Party), Innocent Ekwu (APM), Etete Sobere (PRP), Gabriel Gborogbosi (Action Alliance), Magnus Abe (SDP), and Dumo Lulu Briggs (Accord Party), challenged the outcome of the polls. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Sim Fubara of the PDP as the winner, having garnered 302,614 votes.
Nonetheless, during the tribunal proceedings on Monday, the petition filed by the All Progressive Congress was dismissed following the withdrawal by their legal representative.