The number of votes given to Governor Sule of the APC in the most recent election has been questioned by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nasarawa State.
According to a statement from Ibrahim Hamza, the PDP’s public relations officer for Nasarawa State, the party recognises Gov. Sule’s right to challenge the tribunal’s decision to revoke his election as governor of the state and declare David Ombugadu the legitimate victor.
However, the party emphasised the need for clarification of the appeal’s justifications, particularly as they relate to the claimed inconsistencies in the way the votes were counted.
We respect AA Sule’s right to appeal the decision of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which voids the Independent National Electoral Commission’s declaration of him as governor and restores Dr. David Ombugadu as the legitimately elected governor of Nasarawa State.
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“While AA Sule rejoiced and accepted INEC’s pronouncement that he received 347,209 votes to win the Nasarawa governorship election, he is now relying on the Election Petition Tribunal’s Minority Judgement, which awarded him 295,402 votes, as the foundation for his appeal.
“Recall that INEC announced in March 2023 that AA Sule had won the governorship election with 347,209 votes and that it had given Dr. Ombugadu of the PDP 283,016 votes.
However, according to Justice Ibrahim I. Mashi’s Minority Judgement, AA Sule only received 295,402 votes as opposed to the inflated 347,209 that INEC had granted him at no cost. According to the same minority judgement, Dr. Ombugadu received 291, 603 votes as opposed to the 283,016 suppressed votes that INEC had given him, Ibrahim stated.
The PRO questioned where INEC obtained the 51,897 votes they gave Governor Sule in accordance with the minority ruling in order to appoint him governor of the state.
He claimed that Governor Sule was downplaying the first 48,008 votes INEC had granted him when announcing his victory and was informing everyone he had won the election with just 3,799 rather than the 51,807 votes he had previously acknowledged and rejoiced.
“What AA Sule and his cohorts are now telling the world is that he won the election with the margin of 3,799 and not the 51,807 votes, which he had earlier accepted and celebrated as the proof of his popularity in Nasarawa State,” the PDP insisted.
According to the Minority Judgement, AA Sule is now separating himself from the 48,008 votes that INEC gave him as a donation.
When it is clear that INEC purposefully assigned bogus votes to AA Sule in order for him to win, Hamza claimed that the Minority Judgement raises the question of what AA Sule is genuinely appealing against.
He emphasised that INEC has a sacred duty to ensure that the will of the people is accurately protected, and that any anomalies or discrepancies in the vote count must be thoroughly probed in order to maintain the confidence of the public.
“While it is every citizen’s right to seek legal redress, we feel it is critical to address the dearth of substantive grounds necessary to support the Tribunal’s decision’s appeal, which will ultimately result in the appeal court’s dismissal of the case.
As all tribes and religions in Nasarawa State voted massively in favour of Dr. Ombugadu for governor, “we are confident that any appeal filed by AA Sule will lack substantial grounds to challenge the results of the election.” Finally, he said.
