A Federal High Court in Port Harcourt has dismissed a suit challenging the emergence of Dumo Lulu-Briggs as the governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) after the plaintiff voluntarily withdrew the case.
The suit was instituted by Kings Unyeawaji, an aspirant of the NDC, against the party, its chairman, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Lulu-Briggs. He alleged that he was excluded from the party’s governorship primary and asked the court to nullify Lulu-Briggs’ nomination.
Counsel to Lulu-Briggs, Ibim Dokubo, questioned the competence of the suit, arguing that the plaintiff lacked the legal standing to file the action because he did not participate in the party’s governorship primary. He also maintained that the case was filed after the expiration of the statutory 14-day period allowed for disputes arising from party primaries.
When the matter came before Justice Muhammed Turaki, counsel to the plaintiff applied to discontinue the case. None of the defendants opposed the application, prompting the court to dismiss the suit.
Reacting to the ruling, Dumo Lulu-Briggs welcomed the decision and commended the plaintiff for bringing the matter to a peaceful conclusion. He urged political stakeholders to adopt the same approach during the 2027 general elections by accepting election outcomes in good faith.
Lulu-Briggs said healthy political competition would benefit Rivers State, stressing that candidates should allow the electorate to determine the outcome of elections through a transparent democratic process.
He also expressed confidence in his plans for the state, saying that if elected governor, he would focus on improving governance and driving economic development across Rivers State.