The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Nasarawa State has nullified the election of Governor Abdullahi Sule of the All Progressives Congress, and declared PDP’s David Ombugadu as the winner of the March 18, 2023 governorship election in the state.

Justice Ezekiel Ajayi, the tribunal’s chairman, delivered the verdict virtually and proclaimed Ombugadu of the PDP to be the legitimately elected governor of Nasarawa State.

Sule had been taken to court by Ombugadu to contest the Independent National Electoral Commission’s determination that he had won the election.

He claimed to the tribunal that, notably in the forms EC8B of Gayam and Chiroma Wards of Lafia Local Government Area, his actual votes had been unfairly lowered while Abdullahi Sule’s APC votes had been inflated to help Sule win. The tribunal held that the petitioners duly proved their petition.

The tribunal in its decision deducted the incorrect votes added to Sule and accordingly added back the votes which were reduced from the overall votes of David Ombugadu as evident on the certified copies of the polling units results (forms EC8A) tendered by the Petitioners.

The tribunal added that throughout the trial, the first, second, and third respondents did not present any sets of forms EC8A in opposition.

In the end, the tribunal determined that the petition had validity and as a result, granted the petitioners’ requests for relief.

The tribunal, therefore, ordered that the certificate of return issued to Alhaji Sule of the APC be withdrawn and issued to Dr. David Emmanuel Ombugadu as the validly elected governor of Nasarawa State.