The Supreme Court has upheld Abdullahi Sule’s position as the duly elected Governor of Nasarawa State, dismissing the appeals filed by David Ombugadu, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), challenging Sule’s victory in the March 2023 gubernatorial election.
In the judgment delivered on Friday, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, who read the lead judgment, described the verdict of the Court of Appeal, which affirmed Sule’s election, as “comprehensive and well considered.” The five-member panel of the apex court unanimously dismissed all the appeals brought by Ombugadu.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Abdullahi Sule as the winner of the Nasarawa State gubernatorial election in March 2023 with 347,209 votes, while David Ombugadu polled second with 283,016 votes. Dissatisfied with the outcome, Ombugadu contested the results, citing alleged irregularities.
In October 2023, the election petition tribunal in Lafia nullified Sule’s victory and declared Ombugadu as the winner of the poll. Subsequently, Sule and the All Progressives Congress (APC) sought to overturn the tribunal’s decision.
In November 2023, the Court of Appeal overturned the tribunal’s verdict, affirming Abdullahi Sule’s election as the rightful Governor of Nasarawa State. With the recent Supreme Court ruling, Sule’s victory has been conclusively validated, putting an end to the legal challenges that followed the 2023 gubernatorial election in the state.
