Appeal Court Overturns Tribunal Verdict, Reaffirms Abdullahi Sule As Nasarawa Governor

Ombugadu and Sule

 

In a significant turn of events, the Court of Appeal in Abuja has overturned the decision of the State Election Petitions Tribunal, reinstating Abdullahi Sule as the rightful Governor of Nasarawa State.

The judgment, delivered on October 2, had initially removed Governor Sule from office. Led by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, the three-member panel emphasized that the Tribunal erred in its legal approach, highlighting the necessity for witness statements to be filed within the stipulated 21 days.

The Appellate Court ruled that the Tribunal's reliance on statements not front-loaded as required by law led to an unjust conclusion of nullifying the governor's election. The Court maintained that any lawful petition must adhere to the 21-day amendment window, and the Tribunal's deviation from this timeframe was a serious error. It further criticized the Tribunal for overlooking jurisdictional issues raised during the hearing, thus denying the governor a fair hearing.

The crucial aspect of the case revolved around the Tribunal's use of statements that were not front-loaded, rendering them legally invalid. The Court of Appeal asserted that such statements, being products of illegality, held no probate value for a court to consider. Additionally, the Court dismissed allegations of over-voting used to annul the election, stating that these claims were not substantiated by law.

Justice Onyemenam agreed that the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, David Ombugadu, was null and invalid due to the Tribunal's failure to address jurisdictional concerns raised by the governor. Highlighting the denial of a fair hearing as a fatal flaw, Justice Onyemenam declared all decisions of the Tribunal invalid. Consequently, the Court reversed all previous orders made against Governor Sule and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), affirming Sule as the duly elected governor of Nasarawa State.

Governor Sule had originally been declared the winner of the governorship election by INEC, securing 347,209 votes against his closest opponent, David Emmanuel Ombugadu, who garnered 283,016 votes. However, the Tribunal, in a split decision on October 2, nullified Sule's victory and upheld Ombugadu as the winner. The recent verdict from the Court of Appeal has now settled the matter in favor of Governor Abdullahi Sule.