Appeal Court Reinstates Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule

On Thursday, the Court of Appeal in Abuja overturned the decision of the State Election Petitions Tribunal, which had previously sacked Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule.

The Appellate Court declared Sule as the rightfully elected governor, effectively reinstating him to his position.

Why Sule Was Sacked and Why He Was Reinstate

The Tribunal, headed by Ezekiel Ajayi, had nullified Sule's election on October 2, citing irregularities in the electoral process.

However, the Court of Appeal found that the Tribunal had committed a grave error by relying on witness statements that were not front-loaded as required by law.

In his judgment, Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam emphasized that the Tribunal was legally bound to act on witness statements filed along with the petition or front-loaded within the 21-day timeframe stipulated by law.

He further asserted that no petition can be amended outside the 21-day window, a violation that the Tribunal had committed.

Since the witness statements used to invalidate Sule's election were not front-loaded in compliance with the law, the Court of Appeal declared them invalid and devoid of legal weight.

Also, the Court dismissed the over-voting allegations used to annul the election, finding that they lacked legal merit.

Justice Onyemenam further ruled that the petition filed by the Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), David Emmanuel Ombugadu, was invalid and unlawful due to the Tribunal's disregard for jurisdictional issues raised by the governor.

He declared that the Tribunal's denial of a fair hearing to Governor Sule by failing to consider and make findings on the jurisdictional issues was a fatal error that invalidated all decisions of the Tribunal.

In conclusion, the Court of Appeal reversed all orders made against Governor Sule and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), reaffirming Sule as the duly elected governor of Nasarawa State.

This decision upholds the integrity of the electoral process and ensures that the will of the people prevails.