The Peoples Democratic Party chapter in Nasarawa State has requested that the Supreme Court thoroughly consider the recent ruling of the Court of Appeal located in Abuja, which recognized Governor Abdullahi Sule as the legitimate victor of the state’s 2023 governorship election.
According to The PUNCH, on October 2, the state election petitions tribunal certified David Ombugadu of the PDP the victor and dismissed Sule of the All Progressives Congress.
On Thursday, however, the appellate court ruled that the tribunal had erred in its actions when it recalculated the votes and declared the PDP candidate the victor, thereby confirming Sule as the state governor.
Speaking at the conclusion of a nonviolent demonstration against the ruling in Lafia, the state capital, on Tuesday, PDP women’s leader in the state, Stella Oboshi, urged the supreme court to carefully examine the appeal court’s decision in order to preserve Nigerian democracy’s ideals.
She expressed concern over the appeal court’s ruling, which appeared to defend the Independent National Electoral Commission’s dishonesty in announcing Sule as the state’s legitimately elected governor, while bemoaning the judgment’s failure to uphold true democratic principles.
She said, “We wish to highlight specific instances of irregularities that were overlooked by the court under the guise of technicalities. In the Gayam ward of Lafia Local Government Area, for instance, the total number of accredited voters was recorded as 13,000, while an astonishing 33,000 votes were given to the APC alone.
“Similarly, in the Chiroma ward, the number of accredited voters was documented as 21,000, but INEC announced a staggering 59,000 votes solely for the APC.
“We firmly believe that it is the responsibility of our judiciary to uphold the principles of justice, fairness, and merit in all its judgments. In this particular case, the lack of a thorough investigation into the glaring irregularities is an affront to these principles. It undermines the trust of the people in our justice system.
“It is, therefore, essential that the judiciary, as a pillar of democracy, does not inadvertently provide a platform for the perpetration of electoral injustice.”
Oboshi also voiced his disgust over the excessive brutality that state security officials inflicted on a few of the party’s female supporters on Monday.
She consequently reiterated that the party’s followers had conducted their protests peacefully and pleaded with the security services to stop harassing them.
She said, “We have been demonstrating peacefully for over six months since the declaration of Governor Abdullahi Sule by INEC as the winner of the March 18 governorship election in the state. We have never destroyed anything or shown any act of disobedience to the laws of the country.
“We feel who we voted for was not the person INEC announced and we want justice to prevail, but to our greatest surprise, on Monday security agents brutalized some of our women for embarking on a peaceful protest. Those injured are currently receiving treatment in a hospital.
“I am calling on the security agencies to protect the women and not attack them because their intention for embarking on the peaceful protest is to seek justice, not to foment any form of trouble in the state.”
