Gentlemen of the Press,
It is with profound gratitude, but also with utmost concern, that I wish to address you on the recent developments after the Appeal Court has reversed the verdict of the Nasarawa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal (GEPT), delivered on Monday 2nd, October, 2023. You will recall that the Tribunal erroneously took away the popular mandate given to our then Gubernatorial candidate, Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule by majority of the State electorates, for a Second Term, as the Executive Governor of the State.
2. To our amazement, and the chagrin of many political observers, the 3-Man Tribunal in a split decision of 2 : 1, ascribed the said mandate to Hon. David Emmanuel Ombugadu, the Gubernatorial candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and even declared him as winner of the election.
3. As a democrat, and with the backing of our great party the All Progressives Congress (APC), His Excellency, Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule promptly appealed against the Tribunal's verdict.
We are grateful that on Thursday 23rd, November, 2023, the Appellate Court reversed the verdict of the Tribunal, which borders on a travesty of justice.
4. Gentlemen of the Press you are witnesses to the tumultuous crowd of happy people who lined up the highways from Karu, Keffi, Kokona, Akwanga, Nasarawa-Eggon, and Lafia, the State capital, to give His Excellency, Engr A. A. Sule a heroic wellcome as he returned to the State, from the Appeal Court in Abuja.
5. Unfortunately however, we observe with great concerns and worries that, though the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its Governorship candidate, Hon. David Ombugadu, have both indicated interest to file an appeal at the Supreme Court, against the Court of Appeal judgment, they are nonetheless speaking and behaving in a way and manner that borders on perfidy.
6. Gentlemen of the Press, you may have heard the unbecoming utterances in the Media of the PDP Chairman, Mr Francis Orogu, which is being choroused by some of the party's gullible and fanatical supporters.
7. In their desire to gain power through the back door, the PDP in the State are orchestrating an evil propaganda aimed at bringing disharmony among the people of Nasarawa State, who have been coexisting as one big family, and citizens of Nigeria, from time immemorial.
8. At the promptings of its leadership, the PDP supporters are now classifying the people of Nasarawa State as indigenes and non- indigenes. They are sedetiously calling on their imagined "indigenous people of Nasarawa State" to unite and kick against the Court of Appeal judgement which has rightly reversed the Judgement of the State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, by returning to Governor Sule, the popular mandate given to him by majority of the electorates after the Saturday, March 18, 2023 elections.
9. We ponder to ask PDP what qualifies one to be an indigene or not. Since the resumption of democracy in 1999, the state has been governed by Sen. Dr. Abdullahi Adamu CON, Turakin Keffi, from Kokona Local Government Area, Alh. Dr. Aliyu Akwe Doma OON, Madaucin Doma, from Doma Local Government Area, Sen. Dr. Umaru Tanko Al- makura, from Lafia Local Government Area and Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule from Akwanga Local Government Area.
10. The dream and struggle for the creation of Nasarawa State by the founding fathers transcended political, ethnic and religious sentiments, but anchored on fairness and justice, to harness our collective strength and resources for the betterment of our dear state. This state belongs to all of us. We should therefore, not be seen to encourage in any form senseless, baseless and provocative statements that have no root in history. We call on the citizenry to trade the path of peaceful association, devoid of sentiments of prompting political unrest in the state.
11. Nasarawa State is a peaceful plural society which upholds the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, as its Grundnorm and guiding principle in the conduct of her socio- political affairs. Whereas Orogu thinks he is still in the medevial or stone age, we wish to remind him that we are now in the 21st century, such divisive tendencies and cacophonies of "we the indigenous people" should stop forthwith. Nasarawa State does not belong to PDP, neither to any other political party but for the entire citizenry of the Nigeria nation who resides and do business within the ambits of the law. Therefore, whoever is democratically elected to lead the state at any given time and in any capacity must be accorded its full authority and legitimacy it deserves. Anything on the contrary is treasonous and punishable, therefore, Mr Orogu should be conscious and be guided in his utterances.
12. Indeed you are all equally aware of the nuisance, which the PDP sponsored street protesters have become, to law abiding citizens in Lafia the State capital. It is very unfortunate that rather than await the outcome of their appeal at the Supreme Court, the PDP leadership has instead resorted to actions that are meant to overheat the polity of the State and to subsequently cause chaos.
13. This is certainly the aim of the PDP, because it has realised that their appeal at the Supreme Court is a journey that will end in futility. It can be said with high degree of certainty that the appeal is dead on arrival at the apex court.
14. This is because, to every enlightened and discerning person, the judgment, of the Appellate Court, is comprehensive, and very unequivocal. It is indeed infallible based on the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended), and the extant electoral laws.
15. The PDP knows this for a fact, that is why they are disparaging judges of the Appeal Court. They are claiming that a mandate which was mistakenly given to them has been stolen. Whereas, the democratic action they should take, if the party is confident of its claim, would be to abide by the rule of law, and patiently pursue their appeal.
16. However, we all know that the PDP is only democratic in name. While every aspect of their action is characterised by political brigandage, they have so far demonstrated this by mobilizing their gullible and vulnerable supporters, amongst them women whom they have tricked, to parade nakedly on the street and at PDP secretariat.
17. The poor women who were recruited to engage in this shameful act, have been paid and convinced, that such equally primitive action has the spiritual powers to earn the party victory at the courts.
18. So far, the gods or the deities and the spirits the PDP has been invoking, have failed them, and will further fail them again, at the Supreme Court.
19. Gentlemen of the Press, our optimism for victory at the Supreme Court is based on the facts of what transpired at the Election Petition Tribunal, and the subsequent judgment of the Appeal Court.
20. You would recall that, one of the basis of the Tribunal's decision to annul the re-election of Governor Sule is that there was over voting as alleged by the PDP and its candidate Hon Ombugadu. The Tribunal held to this allegation hook, line and sinker, without proof either by the PDP or its candidate. It then proceeded to arbitrarily deduct 1868 votes from the total scored by Governor Sule, and unjustifiably declare Hon. Ombugadu as winner.
21. For some ulterior motives, the Tribunal deliberately failed to demonstrate the BVAS machine it directed to be tendered before it. Perhaps because it knows that the allegation of over voting will not be found therein. What manner of justice is this? Obviously, it is Kangaroo in form and structure.
22. What is even more ridiculous about the Tribunal judgement is that most of the witnesses that testified for the PDP were agents of other political parties, and not of the PDP itself. More so, the Tribunal also accepted the testimonies of these proxy agents even from polling units where they did not work. Certainly all the testimonies of these proxy agents must be "hearsay" as declared by the Court of Appeal.
23. Unfortunately the Tribunal accepted all these gross anomalies, and on the basis of same, annulled the re-election of Governor Sule as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). What a travesty of justice?
24. Mercifully the appeal of Governor Sule, and the APC was upheld, in the greater interest of truth and justice, as well as the progress of democracy in Nasarawa State and Nigeria general. For the APC therefore, all is well that has ends well.
25. Our amiable, visionary, purposeful and hard working Governor His Excellency, Engr Abdullahi A. Sule is only waiting for the sure positive outcome of the Supreme Court judgement, after which he will continue with his developmental policies and programmes designed to make Nasarawa State an industrial/investors haven.
26. Gentlemen of the Press, we consider it appropriate at this juncture to comment on the call by the PDP on the International Community to intervene in the internal affairs of Nasarawa State. Surely this call is stupendous. If anything, it only goes to show that the PDP has gone out of its wits in the desperate search for ways and means to acquire political power, at whatever cost, since it has failed to do so through the ballot box.
27. We therefore appeal to security agencies in the State to keep the PDP under their radars, in order to checkmate it from doing something unthinkable, and negative to the detriment of our dear Nasarawa State and its peace loving people.
28. Meanwhile, we wish to commend the good people the State, especially the teeming supporters of our great party, and His Excellency, Engr Abdullahi A. Sule, for their show of maturity in the face of provocations by the PDP supporters, in the aftermaths of judgements by both the Elections Tribunal and the Appeal Court. We urge all and sundry to continue to remain prayerful, peaceful and law abiding.
29. All hands should be put on deck to support His Excellency the Governor towards making Nasarawa State a model of peace, which is an important requisite for meaningful development.
30. Gentlemen of the Press, finally I wish to, on behalf of the State Working Committee (SWC), key stakeholders and the entire members of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), thank, as well as commend you,the Mass Media practioners, especially the Gentlemen of the Press for your professionalism.
31. As a political party, the APC in Nasarawa State is quite satisfied with the decorum and sense of fairness demonstrated in the various reportage of the story pertaining the litigations of elections in Nasarawa State. We are impressed with the balancing and fairness contained in your numerous reports. It is our hope that you will sustain the tempo, so that, as the Fourth Estate of the Realm you will contribute positively towards enhancing democracy and good governance in the country.
Thank you.
