By Daniel Abia, P/Harcourt
The governorship candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, has explained why he withdrew his case against Governor Siminalayi Fubara at the Supreme Court following the 2023 governorship election in Rivers State.
Lulu-Briggs said he withdrew the case after considering the interest of the Ijaw people above other considerations.
He disclosed this during a media chat with journalists in Buguma, headquarters of Asari-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State, on Monday.
The NDC candidate said the circumstances surrounding his governorship contests in 2015, 2019 and 2023 were different, noting that several legal issues had affected his ambition in the earlier elections.
According to him, his decision to withdraw the 2023 case at the Supreme Court followed an intervention by the late Pa Edwin Clark and a subsequent appeal by Fubara.
Speaking on the 2023 election, Lulu-Briggs said Clark contacted him and drew his attention to what he described as Fubara’s strong support among the people of Rivers State.
He said Clark appealed to him to withdraw the case, warning that Rivers people might not forgive him if the Supreme Court annulled the election on the strength of his case and the then-Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, became acting governor.
“He argued that Rivers people would not forgive me if the Supreme Court annulled the election on the strength of my case and the Speaker became Acting Governor,” Lulu-Briggs quoted Clark as saying.
He added that Clark was of the view that Fubara might not secure the ticket to contest another election because of the political crisis between the governor and his predecessor and political associate, Nyesom Wike.
Lulu-Briggs further said that following Clark’s intervention, Fubara personally approached him and appealed to him to withdraw the case.
The NDC governorship candidate said his decision to withdraw the Supreme Court case should not be interpreted as an abandonment of his ambition to govern Rivers State.
He said his clarification was intended to set the record straight on his political ambition.
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