Magnus Abe, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate in the Rivers state governorship election, has revealed the reasons behind his decision to withdraw his petition challenging the election outcome.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Siminialayi Fubara of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the election, with Tonye Cole of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Abe as his closest challengers.
Both Cole and Abe rejected the outcome and vowed to challenge Fubara’s victory at the tribunal.
However, Abe recently withdrew his petition, citing a combination of factors in the politics of Rivers State.
Abe explained that the alliance between outgoing governor Nyesom Wike and president-elect Bola Tinubu made it difficult for him to prosecute the election petition.
He also stated that the withdrawal of his petition would provide comfort for his supporters who faced harassment and intimidation during the election.
Abe, a former APC member and a key ally of Tinubu in Rivers state, left the party to contest the governorship election under the SDP in 2022.
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
