INEC Backs Governor Sule As Supreme Court Reserves Judgment In PDP’s Appeal

The Supreme Court has reserved judgment on the appeal filed by David Ombugadu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule.

Counsel for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Onyechi Ikpeazu, urged the apex court on Tuesday to dismiss the appeal and affirm Sule’s election.

THE WHISTLER recalls that the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja had allowed the appeal filed by Sule against the majority judgment of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal which pronounced the winner of the election.

Governor Sule appealed the judgment delivered by the tribunal’s chairman, Justice Ezekiel Ajayi, asking the appellate court to set it aside.

His lawyer, Wole Olanipekun, contended that the Tribunal erroneously relied on the BVAS machines tendered as evidence without any demonstration by the petitioners or the court.

Olanipekun averred that the Tribunal did not see evidence of overvoting in any of the INEC Form EC8AS tendered by the petitioners but went ahead to nullify his client’s election.

“This is unfair,” Olanipekun said, asking the court to set aside the judgment of the tribunal.

However, the PDP candidate’s lawyer, Kanu Agabi, contended that the tribunal analysed the contents of the BVAS, contrary to the submissions of Olanipekun.

In its judgment, the Court of Appeal faulted the Tribunal for relying on non-credible evidence to nullify Sule’s election.

They subsequently expunged all the evidence and exhibits the PDP Candidate tendered as exhibit while returning Sule As Nasarawa Governor.

At the hearing of the apex court, the PDP candidate’s lawyer, Kanu Agabi asked the five-man panel of the apex court chaired by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Eku to restore the election victory of his client at the Nasarawa Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.

Wole Olanipekun, counsel for the governor, said his argument is grounded on the decisions of the apex court.

He asked them to dismiss the appeal which is lacking in merit and substance while uphold the Judgment of the Court of Appeal.

Onyechi Ikpeazu, counsel for INEC, urged the apex court to dismiss the appeal.

Akin Olujimi, counsel for the APC, urged the apex court to dismiss the appeal for lack of merit.

“Judgment is reserved,” the judge replie