Court of Appeal Reserves Judgment in Nasarawa Governorship Case

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has opted to reserve judgment in a pivotal appeal involving Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, of the All Progressives Congress (APC). This appeal challenges the majority decision by a tribunal that nullified Governor Sule’s election, favoring David Ombugadu, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

A three-member panel of justices, presided over by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, informed the involved parties that the date for the judgment will be communicated in due course.

During the proceedings, Wole Olanipekun, the counsel representing Governor Sule, filed five processes challenging the tribunal’s decision. He urged the court to dismiss the tribunal’s judgment and uphold the appeal of his client. Olanipekun argued that the tribunal had neglected the submissions of their witnesses and treated data from the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) as mere dumps without proper consideration as evidence.

In response, Kanu Agabi, counsel to Ombugadu and the PDP, countered Olanipekun’s arguments, urging the court to dismiss the appeal against the tribunal’s judgment. Agabi asserted that their evidence was primarily documentary. Regarding the BVAS, he contended that it was adequately demonstrated in the tribunal as required by law, with the printout from the machine presented as evidence against the claim that it was merely dumped without analysis.

Agabi referenced the tribunal’s judgment, highlighting that the lower court meticulously outlined the process leading to its decision in delivering a comprehensive breakdown. The court now awaits the impending judgment that holds significant implications for the political landscape in Nasarawa State.