By Ayo Yusuf
Two weeks after he was sacked by the tribunal, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, has filed an appeal at the Makurdi Division of the Court of Appeal, Benue State, challenging the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal judgement that nullified his victory in the March 18, 2023 gubernatorial election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Governor Sule of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as the winner of the election.
However, not satisfied with the result, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. David Ombugadu, approached the Nasarawa State Election Petition Tribunal to seek redress over alleged manipulations and malpractices.
The tribunal, via a virtual judgment delivered on October 2 2023, agreed with him and declared the PDP candidate, Mr. Ombugadu, as the authentic winner of the governorship election in the state.
The governor had immediately rejected the decision of the tribunal, insisting that his opponent’s petition lacked merit and ought to have been dismissed.
On Monday, Sule listed 27 grounds before the Makurdi Division of the Court of Appeal to fault the earlier decision of the Justice Ezekiel Ajayi-led tribunal delivered two weeks previously.
In a notice of appeal dated October 15, 2023, Sule urged the appellate court to set aside the decision of the lower court and affirm his victory as declared by INEC.
Joined in the appeal were Ombugadu, PDP, INEC and the All Progressives Congress (APC) as first, second, third and fourth respondents respectively.
