The Supreme Court has deferred its judgement in the appeal challenging the election victory of Governor Abdullahi Sule in Nasarawa State.
The legal dispute revolves around Governor Sule of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), represented by its governorship candidate in the 2023 election, Hon Emmanuel David Ombugadu. During the appeal hearing, Kanu Agabi, SAN, the lead counsel for the PDP and Ombugadu, implored the apex court to overturn the November 23 verdict of the Court of Appeal, which affirmed Sule as the duly elected governor.
Agabi urged the Supreme Court to reinstate the October 2, 2023 judgement of the Nasarawa State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, which had favored the PDP and Ombugadu. He argued that the Court of Appeal unjustly set aside the Tribunal’s decision and declared Sule as the winner of the March 18 gubernatorial election.
Specifically, Agabi called for the recognition of the votes of Nasarawa State residents, declaring PDP and Ombugadu as the winners, aligning with the Tribunal’s ruling. Akin Olujinmi, SAN, leading the legal team for the APC, urged the apex court to thoroughly review the cited authorities supporting their request for the case’s dismissal.
After the arguments, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun announced that the judgement has been reserved, and the delivery date will be communicated to the parties involved. In a previous ruling on November 23, the Appeal Court had overturned the State Election Petitions Tribunal’s decision on October 2, which had initially nullified Gov Sule’s election.
