Soon after the governorship election petitions tribunal sitting in Lafia, Nasarawa State, sacked Governor Abdullahi Sule from office, he resolved to appeal the judgement.
In a split judgement of 2:1 by the three-man tribunal chaired by Justice Ezekiel Ajayi, yesterday, the majority judgement declared the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), David Ombugadu, the winner of the March 18 governorship election held in the state.
The majority judgement was backed by Justice Chiemelie Onaga, member of the panel.
Ombugadu and the PDP had approached the tribunal to challenge the declaration of Governor Sule as the winner of the election in the state.
In a reaction after the judgement, Governor Sule said he remained the chief executive of the state until the Appeal and Supreme courts state the contrary.
He said the dissenting judgement gave him an edge and expressed optimism that the appellate and supreme courts would uphold his election.
He urged his supporters to remain calm and go about their lawful duties.
Meanwhile, the PDP and David Ombugadu Campaign Organisation have extended its heartfelt gratitude to the judiciary and the people of Nasarawa State for the resounding victory achieved at the tribunal, which nullified the declaration of Sule as governor of the state by INEC.
A statement by the director of media and publicity, David Ombugadu Campaign Organisation, Mike Omeri, yesterday in Abuja said the PDP remains committed to the principles of good governance, inclusivity, and service to the people of Nasarawa State.
Omeri said the ruling marked an unprecedented milestone in the pursuit of electoral justice and fairness, adding that the Tribunal’s action highlighted the tenacity of the resolve of a broad spectrum of the people of Nasarawa State to seek and secure justice.
“What the people of Nasarawa State have demonstrated will further strengthen our democracy and the importance of upholding the principles of justice and accountability in our electoral process.
“We hail the tribunal for its diligent and impartial consideration of the evidence presented, leading to this historic and landmark decision,” Omeri said.
According to him, throughout the pursuit to recover his stolen mandate, Ombugadu remained steadfast in his belief that justice would prevail.
Omeri also lauded the tireless efforts of their legal team, whose dedication and expertise were instrumental in presenting their case before the tribunal.
INEC had declared Sule winner of the poll with 347,209 votes against Ombugadu’s 283,016.
The petitioners had alleged that the declaration of Sule as the winner was done in error, accusing INEC officials of connivance.
They had averred that the results announced by the State Returning Office, Professor Ishaya Tanko, were at variance with those on the INEC CTC polling units and INEC’s iRev portal.
“From the INEC CTC of results given to PDP and iREV portal, APC scored 289,524 votes while PDP scored 293, 653 votes. PDP won with a margin of 4,130 votes over APC”, they had claimed.
In a virtual judgement that lasted more than four hours, Justice Ajayi said from the lawful results collated at the various polling units, Ombugadu won the majority of valid votes.
He noted that the PDP candidate had provided the results of the various polling units, forms EC 8A and had proved to the tribunal that the results were manipulated in favour of the APC.
The tribunal chairman therefore ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Sule and to issue a new one to the rightful winner.
However, a dissenting judgement delivered by Justice Ibrahim Mashi, a member of the panel, upheld the election of Governor Sule in the March 18 governorship election in the state.
He said the petition filed by the PDP and its candidate lacked merit, adding that the petitioners failed to prove their case beyond reasonable doubt.
