Rivers 2027: Court dismisses suit against NDC, clears way for Lulu-Briggs

A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has struck out a suit challenging the emergence of Dumo Lulu-Briggs as the governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC.

An aspirant of the NDC, Kings Unyeawaji, filed the suit against the party, its chairman, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and Lulu-Briggs, alleging that he was excluded from the party’s governorship primary and seeking to nullify Lulu-Briggs’ emergence as the party’s candidate.

Ibim Dokubo, counsel to Lulu-Briggs, challenged both the jurisdiction of the court and the plaintiff’s locus standi.

According to him, the plaintiff lacked the legal standing to institute the suit because he did not participate in the governorship primary.

Dokubo also argued that the statutory 14-day period within which complaints arising from party primaries can be filed had elapsed before the action was commenced.

When the matter came up before Justice Muhammed Turaki, counsel to the plaintiff applied to discontinue the suit. The application was not opposed by the defendants, following which the court struck out the case.

Reacting to the development, Lulu-Briggs commended the plaintiff for allowing the matter to end peacefully and urged political actors to embrace the same spirit during the 2027 elections.

“I thank him for allowing the matter to rest. My hope is that in 2027, everyone who contests the election will accept the outcome in good faith.

“We are all Rivers people. There are no monsters among us. Let us go to the field, contest on a level playing ground, and allow the people to decide,” Lulu-Briggs said.