APC governorship candidate in Rivers states disqualified over dual citizenship 

In a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt,Tonye Cole,the Rivers State Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress(APC) has been disqualified over dual citizenship.

The state Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) had approached the court to direct the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) to disregard Cole as the governorship candidate of APC in Rivers state for alleged dual citizenship.

The PDP also alleged that the delegate election that brought him did not follow due process.

The trial judge, Justice Emmanuel Obile, in his final verdict, agreed with the PDP that Cole, who was holding a dual citizenship, was not eligible to contest the governorship position and that the APC primary that brought him in was not monitored by INEC.

Despite the preliminary objection of the APC and the governorship candidate that it was not in the jurisdiction of any court to interfere in another party’s affairs, Justice Obile in the judgement held that the court had the right to hear the matter.

He, therefore, directed INEC to remove Cole from the electoral list for the 2023 general elections.

Speaking to newsmen outside the courtroom, counsel for the APC, Collins Dike, said the party would appeal the judgement.

Dike said, “First, to say that the judgement has been given, in law, we abide by it. However, we are disappointed and we are sure we are going to test it at the Court of Appeal.

“Our constitution is very clear that where a person is a citizen of Nigeria by birth and goes on to acquire the citizenship of any other country or pledges allegiance to any other country, he is qualified to contest elections.

“Tonye Cole acquired citizenship of the United Kingdom; he stated so in his forms before INEC. But it is also clear that he is a citizen of Nigeria by birth.

“So, the court read that very clearly from the constitution and proceeded to disqualify him contrary to the provisions of the constitution.”

Counsel for the PDP, Dike Udenna, said that the judgement passed would prevent the APC and its candidate from participating in the election.

Meanwhile, the state APC Publicity Secretary, Darlington Nwauju, in a brief statement said the judgement was meant to satisfy the PDP in the state.