The Rivers State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja has dismissed the petition filed by Innocent Ekwu and the Allied People’s Movement (APM) for lacking in merit.

The tribunal also awarded a cost of N500,000 against the petitioner and in favour of the respondents.

It held that Ekwu lacked the locus standi to institute the petition as he didn’t contest the Rivers state Governorship election.

Whyte Churchill was the candidate who contested under the platform of APM in the March 18 governorship election held in Rivers State.

The tribunal however dismissed the two issues raised by the petitioner bordering on non-qualification and non-compliance with the electoral laws for being incompetent and for lacking in merit.

READ ALSO: Tribunal Strikes Out LP’s Petition Challenging Fubara’s Victory

Earlier, the tribunal dismissed the petition filed by the governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Rivers State, Beatrice Itubo, challenging the election of Siminalayi Fubara of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Following the declaration of Fubara as the winner of the March 18 governorship election, the LP and the All Progressives Congress (APC) as well as their candidates filed a petition before the tribunal.

Fubara polled 302,614 votes to defeat his closet rival Tonye Cole of the APC who scored 95,274 votes while the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate, Senator Magnus Abe, and Itubo came a distant third and fourth with 46,981 and 22,224 votes respectively.

On September 13, the tribunal reserved judgment on the petition filed by Cole seeking the nullification of Fubara’s victory.

The three-member tribunal, led by Justice Cletus Emifonye, adjourned the matter for judgment after the parties adopted their final written addresses and presented their arguments for and against the petition.

The tribunal is currently held at the premises of the National Judicial Institute.