The governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, is facing criticism after accusing Christian judges of conspiring to remove him from power.
During a speech delivered at the 2023 Peace and Development Summit for Young University Students in Abuja on Tuesday, Governor Sule alleged that the Christian judges on the Nasarawa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal conspired to declare Emmanuel Ombugadu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the election.
Emmanuel Ombugadu is a Christian.
Sule further stated that the Muslim judge on the tribunal, in a dissenting judgment, maintained that he was the rightful winner of the election.
In a controversial video from the event that has since gone viral, Governor Sule revealed that his advisers had suggested shutting down the Winners Chapel (Goshen City) in Masaka and arresting the Presiding Bishop, Bishop Abioye. However, the governor claimed to have refused this proposal.
The governor also alleged that the judges conspired against him after the Christian cleric advised Christians to only vote for a candidate of their faith in the March 18 governorship poll.
Since making these comments, Governor Sule has faced heavy criticism from the people of Nasarawa State and other Nigerians.
Speaking to Media Talk Africa in Lafia, the capital of Nasarawa State, some indigenes and non-indigenes have condemned the governor’s remarks.
Some accused him of attempting to incite religious conflict between Christians and Muslims, while others questioned whether the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Returning Officer, who declared him the winner in the first place, was a Muslim.
Daddy Jay, an indigene of Nasarawa, expressed disbelief, saying, “I cannot believe that our governor can say something like that. I thought the man was educated. If I had not seen the video, I would never have believed it.”
Ovye Amos also reacted to the comments, stating, “He knows he has lost, so he has to try to blackmail the Christians and turn us against each other. It won’t work again in Nasarawa. We are one.”
Another resident, Ashe, stated, “Politicians are in the business of dividing us, but we now know better. We cannot be divided, neither by religion nor tribe.”
Jenner commented, “His time is up and he knows it. This is why we rejected him at the polls. He has nothing to offer, and we were patiently waiting for the election to come so we can remove him. Now, he is blackmailing Christians so that Muslims can fight to keep him. No more!”
Allu Sani said, “If anyone believes that clown, he’s on his own. We know what we want, and God gave it to us through the tribunal.”
Carol, who identified herself as a resident, asked, “Can’t you see that the man is drowning and wants to carry all of us along?”
Pius Anzaku added, “Crying with clear evidence of his loss, he will cry till eternity. He is trying to bring down the state. That should not come from him.
It is a shame for a governor to attempt to divide the people of Nasarawa State based on religion.”
John Ekka Namo questioned, “So Prof Ishaya is a Muslim, right? We voted based on competence, not religion. Stop wasting time and give up.”
Gracious Anzaku, also reacting to the governor’s comments, said, “So we Christians don’t vote for Muslims? All this time, Muslims have been ruling, and nobody brought up religion. Now he is talking about religion.”
