Nasarawa Gov Closes Defense at Election Petition Tribunal

Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia

Nasarawa State Governor, Alhaji Abdullahi Sule yesterday closed his defense in a petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its gubernatorial candidate in the March 18, 2023 governorship election of the state.

Sule closed his defense with seven witnesses providing more proofs that the APC’s scores were depleted during the governorship poll in the state.

Sule’s counsel, Dr. Mubarak Adekilekun made an application to that effect during Saturday’s sitting of the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Lafia.

The governor had called a total of 21 witnesses who testified in support of his victory at the poll before the tribunal, and consequently applied to close his defense through his counsel, Dr. Mubarak Adekilekun.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lead counsel, Ishaka Muddie Dikko (SAN), Mathew Burkah (SAN) for the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the PDP lead counsel, Jibrin Samuel Okutepa (SAN), did not object to the application.

Ruling on the application, Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Ezekiel Ajayi, granted the prayer of the governor’s application.

Meantime, seven more witnesses had testified in support of Governor Abdullahi Sule, submitting that the votes of APC were short-changed during the collation of results in their various Council Wards.