Nigeria appeal court sacks governor of oil state

A Nigerian appeal court has upheld the ruling of a lower court which voided the election of the governor of southern oil-rich state of Rivers and ordered a fresh vote within 90 days, officials said on Thursday.

The appeal court said it was satisfied with the election petition tribunal's decision, which nullified the April 11 election of Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the grounds of violence, voter intimidation and ballot fraud.

The ruling followed complaints by Dakuku Peterside, candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

But Wike rejected the appeal court ruling, saying he would seek redress in the Supreme Court, the country's highest court.

"Wike assured the people of the state that he would use all constitutional processes to protect the mandate they freely bestowed on him which informed his decision to approach the Supreme Court for further adjudication," his office said in a statement.

"The governor said that he still remains the duly elected governor of Rivers state pending the determination of his appeal by the Supreme Court," it added.

Rivers was a key battleground for both the PDP and APC in the run-up to the gubernatorial elections because of the oil and gas sector that is largely based in the southern delta region.

The state has been controlled by the PDP since 1999 when Nigeria returned to civil rule.