Protest rocks Lafia over Supreme Court ruling affirming Gov. Sule’s victory

A protest against the Supreme Court decision to uphold the election of Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has snowballed into a riot at the state capital, Lafia.

Shortly after the Supreme Court jurists upheld the election of Abdullahi Sule of the All Progressives, supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party candidate in the election, David Ombugadu barricaded the Lafia -Jos road of the state to register their displeasure.

The protest later led to blocking of roads and burning of tires which led to shops and business centres including schools within the Lafia metropolis been closed.

In a unanimous decision by a five-member panel, the apex court upheld the declaration of Sule of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) as winner of the governorship election held in the state on March 18, 2023 in the state

Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, in the lead judgment she delivered, dismissed as lacking in merit, the appeal that was filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, David Ombugadu.

Recalls that the Nasarawa State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, in a two-to-one split judgment it delivered on October 2, 2023, nullified Governor Sule’s election and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a fresh Certificate of Return to the PDP candidate.

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According to the tribunal, it was satisfied that Governor Sule was a beneficiary of over-voting that occurred in several polling units in the state.

However, the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, while delivering judgment in an appeal filed by Governor Sule and his party, on November 23, reversed his sack and vacated the decision of the tribunal.

The appellate court held that the tribunal erred in law when it concluded that Governor Sule did not win the majority of lawful votes that were cast in the election.

The appellate court maintained that the record before it established that the tribunal relied on legally inadmissible evidence to declare the PDP candidate as the valid winner of the governorship contest.

It also ruled that the tribunal wrongly relied on the evidence of eight of the witnesses that were produced by the PDP candidate, whose witness statements on oath were not front-loaded alongside the petition.

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The appellate court therefore struck out all the evidence and exhibits that were tendered before the tribunal by the eight witnesses.

It further held that the evidence of the 12 remaining witnesses who testified for the PDP candidate was not sufficient to sustain the judgment of the tribunal.