Sule’s victory challenged in appeal, Supreme Court reserves judgement

The appeal filed by David Ombugadu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenging the election of Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule has been reserved for judgement by the Supreme Court. This comes after a legal dispute between Ombugadu and Sule regarding the outcome of the March 18, 2023 governorship election in Nasarawa State.

The court, presided over by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has reserved the judgments to a later date, which will be communicated to the parties involved. In addition to this case, the apex court has also reserved judgement in the appeal filed by Major General Aminu Bande, the PDP governorship candidate in Kebbi State, challenging the election of Nasir Idris of the APC as the governor of the state.

Last year, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Sule as the winner of the governorship election, but Ombugadu contested this decision at the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal. The tribunal later nullified Sule’s election and declared Ombugadu as the lawfully elected governor of Nasarawa State. Dissatisfied with this ruling, Sule appealed the verdict at the Court of Appeal in Abuja.

On November 23, the appellate court made a ruling on the appeal, overturning the removal of Governor Sule by the State Election Petitions Tribunal.

The panel, headed by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, consisting of three members, stated that the Tribunal was obligated to consider the witness statements submitted with the petition or within the 21-day timeframe specified by law.

The appellate court concluded that the tribunal, led by Ezekiel Ajayi, made a serious mistake by using witness statements on oath that were not submitted within the required timeframe, leading to the unjust decision of nullifying the governor’s election.