The Nasarawa state governorship election petitions tribunal has reserved judgement in a petition filed by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, David Emmanuel Ombugadu challenging the re-election of Governor Abdullahi Sule.
This followed the adoption of final written addresses by all counsels in the matter during the sitting of the tribunal, Thursday, in Lafia the state capital.
While adopting their written addresses separately, counsels to Independent National Electoral Commission, Mudi Dikko, Governor Abdullahi Sule, Wale Olanipekun and All Progressives Congress, Hassan Liman, asked the tribunal to strike out the petition for lack of merit.
INEC lead counsel, Ishaka Muddi Dikko, added that his client, INEC declared Governor Abdullahi Sule winner because he led the petitioners with 64, 193 lawful votes.
He explained that the petitioners could not establish the alleged reduction and exclusion of their votes as their star witness, Ayiwulu Baba Ayiwulu, confirmed before the tribunal that there are discrepancies in the computation of figures he adopted in his witness statement on oath.
Chief Wale Olanipekun, SAN, counsel to Governor Abdullahi Sule asked the tribunal to dismiss the petition considering the fact that most of the documents submitted by the petitioners are without witnesses to speak on their relevance while the BVAS machines tendered were later taken back by the request of the petitioners’ counsel.
Similarly, Dr. Hassan Liman SAN for APC while adopting their final written address, prayed the tribunal to dismiss the petition on grounds that it lacks merit, describing it as “waste of resources for the good people of Nasarawa state.”
The PDP lead counsel, Kanu Agabi SAN, submitted a list of authorities in his final written address but was objected by the respondent’s counsel who argued that the document was submitted out of time.
Having listened to the arguments of both parties, chairman of the tribunal, Justice Ezekiel Ajayi reserved judgement on the case.
