Rivers 2023: Buhari Asked To Direct IGP To Release Lawyers Detained For Suing INEC, Governor-elect

A civil advocacy group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the police to release lawyers detained in River State while trying to petition the tribunal over the recent governorship election in the state.

TrackNews gathered that the detained lawyers are Jerry Aondo, (Abuja), Dr. Sobere Nelson and Odum Eyiba.

They were said to be filing processes on behalf of the All Progressive Congress governorship candidate, Tonye Cole, when they were arrested.

It was also gathered that the election tribunal in the state will sit on Monday.

SERAP condemned the development, describing it as “impunity”

“President Buhari must instruct the police to immediately release three lawyers who are reportedly arrested while filing processes to challenge the just concluded governorship election in Rivers State. This impunity must STOP,” SERAP tweeted.

Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission had declared Sim Fubara of the Peoples Democratic Party as the winner of the gubernatorial election, saying he scored 302,614 votes to defeat Cole of the APC who had 95,274 votes.

On Saturday, Cole demanded INEC to give his legal team all the Certified True Copies of electoral materials used in the election so they can appear before the Tribunal “prepared”.