The Supreme Court has yet to deliver its verdict in the intense legal tussle over the Nasarawa State governorship election. The legal clash revolves around the incumbent governor, Abdullahi Sule of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, along with its governorship candidate, Hon Emmanuel David Ombugadu.
During the recent proceedings, Kanu Agabi SAN, the lead counsel for PDP and its governorship candidate, urged the apex court to overturn the Court of Appeal’s November 23 judgment, which upheld Sule as the duly elected governor. Agabi, a former Attorney General of the Federation, argued for the restoration of the October 2, 2023, judgment of the Nasarawa State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in favor of PDP and Ombugadu. He emphasized the need for the Supreme Court to recognize the voters of Nasarawa and declare PDP and Ombugadu as the rightful winners, as ruled by the Tribunal.
In opposition, the Governor, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and APC urged the court to dismiss the appeal, citing lack of merit. The APC’s legal team, led by Akin Olujinmi SAN, requested a thorough review of applicable authorities to support the dismissal of the case.
Following the presentation of arguments, Justice Kekere-Ekun announced that the judgment had been reserved, with the delivery date to be communicated to all concerned parties.
The Court of Appeal had earlier reversed the removal of Sule by the State Election Petitions Tribunal and reinstated him as the lawfully elected governor. The appellate court held that the Tribunal had erred in nullifying the governor’s election based on improperly filed witness statements and disregarding jurisdictional issues raised by the governor.
The Court of Appeal also dismissed allegations of over-voting as unsubstantiated and ruled that the petition by the PDP’s governorship candidate was null and void due to the Tribunal’s failure to address jurisdictional matters, thus violating the governor’s right to a fair hearing.
Ultimately, the Court of Appeal overturned all decisions against the governor and INEC, confirming Sule as the legitimate governor, based on the electoral outcome where he secured 347,209 votes, defeating his closest rival, David Emmanuel Ombugadu, who garnered 283,016 votes. Now, Nasarawa and political stakeholders await the pivotal decision from the Supreme Court, which will determine the state’s leadership and the impact it may have on the Nigerian political landscape.
