The Supreme Court had fixed Tuesday, January 16, 2024, for a hearing in the state governorship election
There is disquiet in the opposition camp in Nasarawa State over the composition of the Supreme Court panel which will hear the Nasarawa State governorship election case between David Ombugadu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Governor Abdullahi Sule of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Supreme Court had fixed Tuesday, January 16, 2024, for a hearing in the state governorship election
SaharaReporters learnt on Thursday that the Supreme Court's five-member panel comprises Justice Kudirat M. O Kekere - Ekun - Lagos State; Justice Uwani Abba Aji - Yobe State; Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba - Zamfara State; Justice Ibrahim M. M Saulawa - Katsina State and Justice Tijani Abubakar - Yobe State.
SaharaReporters gathered that members of the opposition camp are agitated that two of the members of the panel are from Yobe State where the governor is believed to have originally hailed from.
“The APC national chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, also played a role in securing the member of the panel from Katsina State. The Nasarawa State Governor Sule is originally from Yobe and two judges on the panel are from the same Yobe. We frown on this composition,” a member of the opposition camp who spoke on the condition of anonymity stated.
SaharaReporters on December 6 reported that David Ombugadu of the PDP approached the Supreme Court of Nigeria to nullify the election of Governor Sule.
This was seen in a copy of the notice of appeal filed by Ombugadu’s legal team and obtained by SaharaReporters listing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Sule Audu Alhaji, and All Progressives Congress (APC) as respondents before the apex court.
SaharaReporters also reported how the Court of Appeal in Abuja affirmed the election of Sule as governor of Nasarawa State on November 23, 2023.
The appellate court, in a unanimous decision by a three-member panel of justices, voided the verdict of the Nasarawa State governorship election petition tribunal, which sacked Governor Sule, the APC candidate.
Governor Sule had filed an appeal against the verdict of the tribunal which sacked him and declared Ombugadu as the winner of the election.
The electoral body had declared Sule winner of the governorship election but Ombugadu headed for the court.
According to INEC, Sule polled a total of 347,209 votes to defeat his closest opponent, who secured 283,016 votes.
In a split decision on October 2, the tribunal nullified Sule’s election and upheld Ombugadu as the winner.
However, Sule, through his counsel, Wole Olanipekun (SAN), asked the appellate court to upturn the judgment of the tribunal and allow his appeal.