In a decisive ruling today, the State and National Assembly Appeal Court in Lagos upheld Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s victory in the March 18, 2023, governorship election.
The unanimous decision saw the dismissal of four appeals from opposition candidates—Tonye Cole (APC), Beatrice Itubo (Labour Party), Innocent Ekwu (Allied People’s Movement), and Lulu Briggs Dumo (Accord Party).
The court emphasized that the appellants failed to substantiate claims of Electoral Act non-compliance.
Additionally, the court criticized the tribunal for wrongly dismissing Tonye Cole’s appeal based on the withdrawal of APC’s petition, asserting that Cole retains the right to pursue his case independently.