The Nasarawa State Election Petitions Tribunal has ruled in favor of David Ombugadu, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, in the Nasarawa State governorship election held on March 18, 2023.
In its judgment, the tribunal declared the election of Governor Abdullahi Sule of the All Progressives Congress (APC) null and void.
Previously, the tribunal in Lafia had dismissed a case brought by the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), which challenged the confirmation of Governor Abdullahi Sule as the duly elected governor of Nasarawa State, citing a lack of merit.
The three-man panel, led by Justice Ezekiel Ajayi, stated that “The petition lacks merit and is hereby dismissed.” They found that the petitioner failed to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, including allegations of overvoting and vote disruption.
However, the tribunal did not impose any costs on the NNPP.
On March 20, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Abdullahi Sule of the APC as the winner of the governorship election in the state, citing his having the highest number of votes.
Sule secured re-election for a second term, defeating his closest rival, David Ombugadu of the PDP, who garnered 283,016 votes, while Abdullahi Maidoya of the NNPP received 11,726 votes.
Both the PDP and NNPP, along with their respective gubernatorial candidates, appealed to the tribunal to invalidate Sule’s victory, expressing dissatisfaction with the election’s outcome
