PDP accuses INEC of rigging the Nasarawa governor’s race

In the Nasarawa State governor’s race on March 18, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) claimed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) gave votes to Governor Abdullahi Sule of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a statement, Alhaji Ibrahim Hamza, the PDP’s representative in Nasarawa, claimed that INEC owed the state’s residents explanations on how it determined how many votes to give the incumbent governor.

Hamza highlighted in the statement that Sule’s declaration as the election’s victor by INEC was rejected by the majority judgement of the Nasarawa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.

The panel also proclaimed David Ombugadu, a PDP candidate, the victor of the poll and ordered INEC to give him a Certificate of Return.

Read Also:Nasarawa Governor: PDP questions the INEC votes given to Governor Sule

As a supporter of democratic ideals, Sule’s right to challenge the tribunal’s majority decision was acknowledged by the PDP, according to Hamza.

However, he emphasised that it was critical for INEC to provide further information regarding the purported difference in the election’s vote count.

He claimed that the minority ruling of the tribunal, which supported the governor, showed the inconsistency in the vote count.

It will be noted that INEC declared Sule the winner of the governorship election with 347,209 votes in March 2023. The PDP candidate Ombugadu received 283,016 votes, according to INEC.

“But in his minority judgement, Hon. Justice Ibrahim Mashi ruled that Sule scored only 295,402 votes as against the inflated votes of 347,209 freely given to him by INEC,” continued Hamza in the statement he released.

The same minority decision said that Ombugadu received 291, 603 votes as opposed to the 283,016 suppressed votes that INEC had given him.

“Where did INEC get the generous 51,807 vote margin it gave to AA Sule and returned him as the elected governor of Nasarawa State based on the ruling of the same minority judgement?” is a question that begs an answer.

The PDP continued by pointing out that the governor’s appeal lacked merit and would thus be rejected. (NAN)