Tonye Cole, an APC candidate for governor of Rivers State, was disqualified on Thursday by a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt due to his dual citizenship.
According to reports, Tonye Cole is a citizen of the UK.
The court further determined that the APC’s selection of Cole as the party candidate violated the Electoral Act.
Due to an alleged dual citizenship and the fact that INEC was not present during the delegate election that resulted in Tonye Cole’s selection, the Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State has petitioned the court to order INEC not to accept Cole as the APC’s candidate for governor.
In his ruling, Justice Emmanuel Obile agreed with the People’s Democratic Party that Tonye Cole is unable to run for governor.
He then gave INEC the order to remove Tonye Cole’s name from the list of candidates who are eligible to run for governor in 2023.
However, the court’s judgment runs counter to an earlier decision it made on a preliminary objection in a lawsuit brought by the APC against the PDP and its governorship candidate Siminialaye Fubara.
Justice Obile had declared in that case that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the issue and that no party had the authority to meddle in the internal affairs of other political parties.
