Why Appeal Court Overturned Tribunal’s Decision, Validated Abdullahi Sule’s Victory in Nasarawa

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has reversed the verdict of the State Election Petitions Tribunal, reinstating Abdullahi Sule as the legitimate governor of Nasarawa State. The Tribunal had earlier declared David Ombugadu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the victor in the gubernatorial election held in October.

In a decisive judgment, the three-member panel, led by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, asserted that the Tribunal erred in utilizing witness statements not front-loaded within the legally stipulated 21 days. The Appellate Court emphasized that the Tribunal’s decision to nullify the election based on improperly submitted evidence was a grave legal misstep.

The Court of Appeal contended that the Tribunal’s failure to consider jurisdictional issues during the petition hearing amounted to a denial of a fair hearing for Governor Sule. The court highlighted that the statements used by the Tribunal lacked probate value due to their non-compliance with legal procedures.

Furthermore, the Court dismissed allegations of over-voting that were used to invalidate the election results, stating that such claims were not substantiated by law. Justice Onyemenam declared David Ombugadu’s petition null and invalid, citing the unlawful disregard of jurisdictional concerns raised by Governor Sule.

In a significant turn, the Court overturned all previous orders against Governor Sule and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), affirming Sule as the duly elected governor of Nasarawa State. INEC had initially declared Sule as the winner with 347,209 votes, defeating Ombugadu, who secured 283,016 votes.

This ruling comes in response to the Tribunal’s earlier decision on October 2, which had nullified Sule’s election and declared Ombugadu as the rightful winner—a decision now set aside by the Appellate Court.