AL-HAU24news

By Rabiu Abdullahi

IF truth be told, the decision on Monday 2, October, 2023, to annul the re-election of Governor Abdullahi A. Sule of Nasarawa State, of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for a second term, came as rude shock to many political observers. In a split decision of the three-member Governorship Election Tribunal, two of the judges agreed with the petitioner, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and its candidate Hon. David Ombugadu, that the result of the March 8, 2023 election be cancelled, due to over voting.

However, the third member of the Tribunal believed otherwise, stating that the petition be dismissed for lack of merit. Yet the lead judge of the Tribunal went on to declare the PDP candidate as winner of the election, and ordered the Independent National Elections Commission (INEC) to announce him as such.

I am not a lawyer, but juxtaposing the two versions of the verdicts or judgement, something tells me that the case is not over yet. Why do I think so? I am relying on a popular legal jargon which says that “The Law Is An Ass”.

We therefore have to wait for outcome of proceedings at the Appeal Court, and possibly too, at the Apex Court. But whichever way it turns out, either of the possible two outcomes will have different impact on governance and politics in our dear Nasarawa State.

Upholding the verdict of the Tribunal will mean starting all over as far as governance in the State is concerned. For surely, a new political party, in this case the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) taking over, means new policies and programmes. In other words jettesoning all the works of the All Progressive Congress (APC) administration under the purposeful stewardship of Governor Abdullahi A. Sule.

This will essentially mean the likelihood of abandoning all projects started in past four years. Of course, with the attendant wastages of funds and resources that will accompany such abandonment.

I predict so because of the nature and character of the PDP opposition, which has repeatedly said it has seen nothing good under the APC administration in the past four years. A perception that is partently false and negatively propagadist.

Certainly all majority of the discerning political observers, within and outside of Nasarawa State, will agree that the Governor Abdullahi Sule administration in Nasarawa State has prudently built on the achievements of the previous administrations. Indeed the APC administration has in the past four years implemented policies and programmes that have positioned Nasarawa on the path of greatness.

Today the State is reckoned with as a potential economic and industrial hub in the country. It is not an exergeration to say that Nasarawa is at the threshold of prosperity. No one can deny the fact that, this is as a result of the prudent management of the State resources under the Governor Sule purposeful administration in the past four years.
Will this positive match to prosperity be truncated on account of an inadvertent judicial verdict? Hopefully not. Nasarawa State and its good people will however have to await the impending decision(s) of the appellate courts.

An objective gauge of the general public mood after the declaration of the Tribunal incomprehensive verdict, will however reveal that the wish, hope and prayers of the silent majority is that it(the verdict) be overturned.

Why do I think so? Sadly I cannot explain the reasons without possibly triggering unnecessary reactions, because of the sensitive, and subjective, and uniformed opinion many people have already taken after the Tribunal announced its split verdict. Therefore I will end this piece of my article by “stomaching” the reasons I would have given for my claim that the silent majority desire an overturned of the verdict, notwithstanding the pockets of provocative jubilations in one or two corners of the State.

Finally, I wish to commend the State Governor Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule, and his party, the APC for the prompt decision to appeal against the Tribunal verdict. This has no doubt helped douse tension, and nip in the bud any plan by mischive makers to possibly cause breach of the law.

The decision to promptly, without much hesitation appeal against the Tribunal is an indication that the Governor and his political party all the while followed Tribunal proceedings and is well prepared for the now known eventuality.

Abdullahi is a seasoned journalist and former Sole Administrator of the defunct Nasarawa Newsday.