By Francis Nansak, Lafia
Since March 18, 2023, when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducted the governorship election, which reinstated Governor Abdullahi Sule as the elected governor of Nasarawa State for a second time in office, this has attracted reactions among citizens, especially supporters of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who goes spiritual in protest of INEC declaration of Engineer Abdullahi Sule of APC as the winner of the election.
What led to the uproar and expressions of dislike was hinged on claims of vote manipulation and outright oppression of the will of the electorate.
As if that was all, but the height of the protest became solidified when the PDP governorship Candidate David Emmanuel Ombugadu instituted a case at the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal against Governor Abdullahi Sule, APC, and the INEC, seeking justice.
At this point, both parties (APC and PDP) became restless and mounted pressures in the state, countering reactions in the media at each other for lack of public understanding as to why the election was prosecuted in the best form expected, while on the other hand, the election was viewed as the highest of all electoral malpractices ever, respectively.
Before and after the Tribunal verdict which held that INEC declaration of Abdullahi Sule of APC was a subversion of legitimate conduct of election as revealed in the petition filed by the PDP and it governorship candidate highlighting overvoting before the panel of GEPT to have favor the APC governorship candidate and Governor Abdullahi Sule, the tribunal in it final judgment upturned the victory of the APC and Governor Sule as it proceeded by awarding the PDP candidate David Emmanuel victory, asking the Independent National Electoral Commission to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Abdullahi Sule for David Ombugadu as the duly elected governor in a dissenting judgment, but one of the justices preferred that Abdullahi Sule was elected by majority votes by the electorate, therefore, remains the governor of the state.
This further brewed tension in the state as both parties embarked on prayers. On their part, the PDP was hopeful that it will form government while the APC frowned at the verdict of the Tribunal, the ruling APC rooted for an appeal of the tribunal judgment, which sacked it, candidate, by filing an appeal at Federal Court of Appeal Abuja.
It would be recalled that some women in the state had expressed displeasure with the declaration of Engineer Abdullahi Sule of the APC as the winner of the election and therefore preferred nakedness for days and prayed that justice prevailed.
At the Appeal Court where the governor of Nasarawa State, Engineer Abdullahi Sule, in protest of the verdict of the tribunal court, had his petition upheld against the dissenting judgment handed down by two justices at the lower court.
In a show of dissatisfaction with the appeal court verdict, the PDP and its candidate David Ombugadu in search of justice took their petition to the Apex Court, again causing more tension in the state as this leaves all parties in ceaseless prayers and predictions in anticipated self favors from the supreme court.
The hearing of the matter, however, began on Tuesday at the Supreme Court but was adjourned for adjournment of the case for a date for final determination of the tussle and fixed before or on the 21st for judgment.
This decision by the Apex Court leaves everyone in attendance to hear the case with chilling nerves as both parties, in their anxieties, intensified their prayer warriors’ quest to emerge victorious and the belief that the Supreme Court will, either way, speak in their favor. Unfortunately, and in the wisdom of the Five-Man Penal of Justices led by Justice Kekere Ekun, the judgment was reserved with a promise to communicate with both parties, respectively.
Nasarawa State politically in recent time have been the must discoursed in the media owing to the gravity of the governorship election and nature of litigations, causing tensions among religions and the dispeccable remarks in some quotas that trended.
As both parties returned home in a kind of stillbirth on their expectations, the height of prayers had also become intensified with a measure of silence that accompanied their supporters across the state.
Speaking to our correspondent, a political stakeholder and state house of assembly candidate in the state opined that all that is expected from the Supreme Court is fairness, justice, and the promotion of democracy not minding which party but that whoever the panel of justices at the supreme court sees as the one that won the majority votes of the electorate be given the deserved judgment.
” This is when the people will respect governance and not speaking in pararel languages. We expect that the Supreme Court will be more professional in the dispensation of justice for the promotion of democracy and good governance to thrive.
In another view from a traditional title holder who preferred anonymity he said for the purpose of continuity and stability, the Supreme Court should award the election victory to Governor A.A Sule who has so far led the state on the part of progress.
“You see, we as a state and the nation today have enjoyed a level of continuity in government backed by stability, so, in my opinion, I will rather prefer that for this course Engineer Abdullahi Sule deserves a favourable judgement for the purposes of continuity and stability,” He said.
In another point of argument, our correspondent reports that Honourable Angama Weibey , a former commissioner and senate aspirant said he would prefer that the winner of the election be awarded victory by the panel of justices at the Supreme Court.
“This is an indisputable fact and the truth is that David Ombugadu won the 2023 governorship election. Everyone knows this; let me be very frank with you the issue at hand is not just about A A Sule or David Ombugadu but is a matter of who got the majority votes. The people of Nasarawa spoke in one voice during the election, and their voices was for the PDP candidate” Angama said.